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Ancient Mexico: A Mural By Diego Rivera.Ancient Mexico

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Ancient Mexico: A Mural by Diego Rivera

Ancient Mexico is a grandiose mural which represents the main events of Mexico’s history from the Pre-Columbian Period to Modern Time. The inspiration came to Diego Rivera, from the nationalist movement of his country. Therefore, the mural elements are prototypical of the painting style’s era. Physically the mural is located on the stairway of the Mexican National Palace, in Mexico City; which is the place where the Presidents work. This mural was commissioned at the end of the Mexican Revolution by the federal government. Moreover, this masterpiece depicts its era, considering that this was the dominating genre in the 1920’s, among the Mexican painters. Muralism Movement in Mexico as a form …show more content…

To fulfill his goal, he utilized the historical periods as follows; Pre-Hispanic Period, the Conquest, Colonial time, Independence, and the Mexican Revolution as his major themes. For instance, on one panel, we contemplate the Aztecs or Mexicas arriving at their promised land. That is why we can observe the eagle devouring a serpent on top of a cactus. As Cunningham’s indicated on page 554, this part of the mural glorifies the Aztec prophecy. Then, at the center, one can appreciate Quetzalcoatl, with blonde hair, flying over Moctezuma and his peasants. With this particular detail he was indicating that Quetzalcoatl’s job was and done. For this reason he is leaving the Aztecs under the protection of Montezuma, the last Aztec emperor; and going back to his divine home. One can infer that the lighter color of Quetzalcoatl skin as well as his hair, suggesting that he was a foreigner, who taught them new ways of living and for that reason the Mexicas cherished him. Throughout the picture Diego Rivera’s palette consists of an ample array of reds, greens, and white as the dominant colors. One can sustain he employed these pigments. Due to the fact they are the colors of the national flag. The color white represents the purity of the hearts of the Mexican people; the red represents the blood lost during the multiple wars that Mexicans fought, until they conquered their independence. Finally, the color green represents the hope that Mexico, as a free

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