General Information

The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is the most important cultural centre in Mexico. Located on the west side of the historic centre of Mexico City next to the Alameda Central park, the building is famous for murals by Diego Rivera, as well as the many exhibitions and theatrical performances, including the Ballet Folklórico de Mexico.

Additional Information

The Palace has been the scene of some of the most notable events in Mexican music, dance, theatre, opera and literature and has hosted important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. Some of these include several exhibitions of Frida Kahlo’s work, and a number of appearances by Luciano Pavarotti.

Two of the best-known groups that regularly perform here are the Ballet Folklórico de México Compania Nacional de Opera de Bellas Artes and the National Symphonic Orchestra. The first performs in the theatre twice a week and is a spectacle of pre and post-Hispanic dance of Mexico. A typical programme includes Aztec ritual dances, agricultural dances from Jalisco, a fiesta in Veracruz, a wedding celebration – all accompanied by mariachis, marimba players and singers.

The building is administered by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, which is a federal institution. On average, the palace receives 10,000 visitors each week. It was declared an artistic monument in 1987 by UNESCO.

Occasionally, the plaza in front of the Palace is the scene of protests such as those against the Iraq War in 2003 and against bullfighting in 2010.

History: Highlights

The first National Theatre of Mexico was built in the late 19th century, but it was soon decided to tear it down in favour of a more opulent building in time for the Centennial of the Mexican War of Independence in 1910. Geological problems and political issues caused the building not to be completed until 1934.

History: Explained

The earliest known structure on the site was the Convent of Santa Isabel, whose church was built in 1680. The convent area suffered frequent flooding during the early colonial period and development here grew slowly. In spite of this, the convent remained until it was forcibly closed in the 1860s by the Reform Laws. It was replaced by a textile mill and lower-class housing. A section of this housing, on Santa Isabel Alley, was torn down and replaced by the National Theatre in the late 19th century.

During the late 19th century and very early 20th, this theatre was the site of most of Mexico City’s high culture, presenting events such as theatre, operettas, Viennese dance and more.

It was then decided to replace this building with a more opulent one for the upcoming Centennial of Mexican Independence celebrations in 1910. The old theatre was demolished in 1901, and the new theatre would be called the Gran Teatro de Ópera. The work was awarded to Italian architect Adamo Boari, who favoured neoclassical and Art Nouveau styles and who is responsible for the Palacio del Correo which is across the street.

Despite the 1910 deadline, by 1913, the building was hardly begun with only a basic shell. One reason for this is that the project became more complicated than anticipated as the heavy building sank into the soft spongy subsoil. The other reason was the political and economic instability that would lead to the Mexican Revolution. In this hostile environment the construction of the palace was suspended completely and Adamo Boari returned to Italy.

The project would sit unfinished for about twenty years. In 1932, the construction resumed under Mexican architect Federico Mariscal. Mariscal completed the interior but updated it from Boari’s plans to the more modern Art Deco style. The building was completed and inaugurated in 1934.

Architecture: Highlights

The palace has a mixture of a number of architectural styles. However, it is principally Art Nouveau, which dominates the exterior, done by Adamo Boari; and Art Deco, dominating the interior, completed by Federico Mariscal. Since construction began in 1904, the theatre has sunk some four metres into the soft soil of Mexico City.

Architecture: Explained

The main façade, which faces Avenida Juárez, is made of white Italian Carrera marble. In the interior of the portal are sculptures by Italian Leonardo Bistolfi. The group consists of ‘Harmony’, surrounded by ‘Pain’, ‘Rage’, ‘Happiness’, ‘Peace’ and ‘Love’. Another portion of the façade contains cherubs and sculptures representing music and inspiration. On the plaza front of the building, designed by Boari, there are four Pegasus sculptures which were made by Catalan Agustí Querol Subirats. These had been in the Zócalo before being brought here. The roof covering the centre of the building is made of crystal designed by Hungarian Géza Maróti and depicts the Muses with Apollo.

The interior is also surfaced in Carrera marble. It divides into three sections: the main hall with adjoining smaller exhibition halls, the theatre and the offices of the Insituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. The balconies of all three upper floors can be seen from the ground floor. In areas of the main hall, pre-Hispanic motifs done in Art Deco style, such as serpents’ heads on window arches and Maya Chaac masks on the vertical light panels distinguish this interior from its contemporaries.

The smaller exhibition halls are located on the first and second floors. The first floor is decorated with crystal lamps, created by Edgar Brandt and murals by Rufino Tamayo. The second floor has smaller exhibition halls as well as murals by José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, Jorge González Camarena, Roberto Montenegro and Manuel Rodríguez Lozano.

At the entrance to the theatre, there are mascarons in bronze with depictions of Tlaloc and Chaac, the Aztec and Mayan deities of water, which along with the rest were designed by Gianette Fiorenzo. On the arch over the stage are representations of various mythological personas such as the Muses with Apollo. This was constructed in Hungary in the workshops of Geza Maroti.

The most original feature is the stage ‘curtain’, which is a stained glass foldable panel created out of almost a million pieces of iridescent coloured glass by Tiffany’s in New York. This stage curtain is the only one of its type in any opera house in the world and weighs 24 tonnes. The design of the curtain has the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl in the centre. Around them is a Mexican landscape surrounded by images of sculptures from Yautepec and Oaxaca.