National Palace (Palacio Nacional) description and photos - Mexico: Mexico City (Topic)

Palacio Nacional description and photos - Mexico: Mexico City. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Palacio Nacional.

Photo and description

The National Palace is located on the Constitution Square or, as the Mexicans call it, Zocalo, and occupies its entire eastern side. The government building was designed by order of the conquistador Hernan Cortez in 1692. Once in its place was the palace of the Aztec emperor Montezuma, which later became the home of Cortes himself.

The modern palace began to be built in 1562 in the then fashionable Baroque style. The government building has been repeatedly attacked. So in 1624 and 1692 the rebels attacked him. In 1821, when Mexico gained independence, the palace became the presidential residence.

The palace is partially open to tourists. For example, you can visit the offices where President Juarez worked in 1860. They make up a small museum, the exhibits of which also tell about the history of the Mexican Congress. The entrance is free.

On the second floor, the walls are covered with paintings by Diego Rivera, a famous socialist artist. He worked on the frescoes from 1929 to 1935. Significant in scope and value, the work "The Mexican People's Epic of Their Fight for Freedom and Independence" embodies the two thousand year history of Mexico. The right wall reflects the life of the Mexican aborigines before the arrival of the conquerors from Spain. The left wall tells about the present and future of the country after the revolution. On the ground floor, wall frescoes depict the life of Mexico before the arrival of the conquistadors and the life of the city of Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City stands today.

Now, the National Palace houses the residence of the President and the Ministry of Finance.

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Topic: National Palace (Palacio Nacional) description and photos - Mexico: Mexico City.