Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    National/International News

    Mexico’s Palace of Fine Arts, a Majestic Building Raised Over Three Decades

    zenger.newsBy zenger.newsJanuary 9, 2021No Comments5 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Mexico City’s majestic Palace of Fine Arts is a source of pride for many Mexicans. Located between the Alameda (Mexico City’s Central Park) and the Post Office Building, a variety of factors conspired to cause its construction to span three decades.

    The Italian architect Adamo Boari designed the palace and began building it in 1904, at the behest of Mexican President Porfirio Díaz’s administration.

    Operating under the motto “Order and Progress,” Díaz sought to create projects that would better the nation, and the Palace of Fine Arts was one of them. He gave the order to finish the building to celebrate the 1910 Centennial of Mexico’s Independence. However, that did not happen.

    “Porfirio Díaz’s administration bought the property where the National Theater was built,” said José Daniel Juárez, a tourist guide of the Palace.

    The Fine Arts building, made of marble, represents the Porfirio Díaz era and his interest in European styles and modernism. *** El edificio de Bellas Artes, de mármol, representa la época de Porfirio Díaz y su interés en lo europeo y el modernismo.  (S Ruvalcaba/Unsplash).

    Boari demolished it to build the new Palace. He designed it following the trending art nouveau or modernist style, using curves and asymmetry in many elements, including floor plans, decoration and structure leveling.

    The Industrial Revolution brought many possibilities to the arts, including the use of serial production. Boari wanted his building to be a reflection of its time. So, he incorporated elements of this new aesthetic into it.

    Boari described the new construction “as a building with majestic spaces, greenhouses, sculptures, party rooms and a theater, and — last but not least — completely clad in marble,” said Juárez.

    The masons got to work, but a geological reality caused a delay. Built over a former lake, Downtown Mexico City has unstable terrain, especially for a heavy building with a marble and steel structure and a concrete platform. Boari and his team needed to restructure the foundation.

    Boari wanted the facade to pay homage to the elements of pre-Hispanic cultures. So, he included depictions of snakes, jaguars, monkeys, and coyotes, among other animals and deities.

    A variety of shows are performed in the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, such as the Folkloric Ballet. *** Se presenta todo tipo de espectáculo en el Teatro de Bellas Artes, como el Ballet Folklórico. (Cesira Alvarado/Unsplash).

    The already existing challenges on the construction worsened when the Mexican Revolution broke out in 1910.

    “The metallic structure began to collapse, which was one of the causes that prevented the building from being inaugurated for the Centennial celebration in 1910,” said Hugo Antonio Arciniega, who has a doctorate in Mexican art history. “But if we dig deeper into the country’s context, there were also economic difficulties related to the outbreak of the Revolution.”

    Boari returned to his home country of Italy in 1916, but he continued working from afar, sending photographs, plans and updates. Boari left testimony of his passionate work in 34 explanatory plates of the structure and ornaments compiled in “La costruzione di un teatro.”

    Eventually, the construction stopped.

    Architect Antonio Muñoz resumed it in 1918-19, during the administration of President Venustiano Carranza. Muñoz planned to finish by 1921, but that proved impossible, due to Mexico’s economic and political problems. However, he did make some progress in the project.

    President Pascual Ortiz Rubio decreed in 1930 that the completion of the building should be cheaper and that the teams should respect Boari’s original decisions.

    The building was already an expression of respect and admiration for the Mexican elite. But due to the Mexican Revolution, which raged from 1910-20, that was problematic. Regardless, the construction stopped again, but not for long this time.

    Two years later, architect Federico Mariscal took over. He redesigned the building’s interior in the art deco style that was quite popular at the time.

    Among the modifications occurring under Mariscal’s direction: the party hall became a visual arts museum; the presidential box shrank, yielding its space to a foyer that today serves as the international art exhibition hall; and a conference room and a folk art museum with exhibition galleries were created. Today, the galleries host artworks of national relevance.

    The building also incorporated more public spaces, including the lobby, hall, book museum, library and a restaurant. Regarding the showroom, the lunettes’ floors and amphitheaters grew, making the space accessible to more people.

    A plaza with four sculptures of Pegasus serves as a preamble for entering the palace.

    President Abelardo Rodríguez cut the ribbon for the building on Sept. 29, 1934. Since then, the Palace of Fine Arts has witnessed more than 100,000 events, including concerts, plays, opera, dance performances, and painting and sculpture exhibitions.

    (Translated and edited by Gabriela Olmos. Edited by Melanie Slone and Matthew B. Hall.)



    The post Mexico’s Palace of Fine Arts, a Majestic Building Raised Over Three Decades appeared first on Zenger News.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    zenger.news
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Emmett Till National Monument May Be Removed Under Trump Admin

    June 28, 2025

    Black Americans Face Unequal Burden as U.S. Inches Closer to War

    June 22, 2025

    Juneteenth! Freedom Day

    June 19, 2025

    Emmy-winning journalist launches Juneteenth series

    June 19, 2025

    Donald Trump is the first president in 116 years to not be invited to the NAACP convention

    June 16, 2025

    The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt

    April 29, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    Business

    Charlotte Knight Griffin Takes Office as TBA President-Elect

    June 30, 2025

    EXCLUSIVE OP-ED: President Joe Biden Commemorating Juneteenth

    June 19, 2025

    FUNdraising Good Times Report from Neighborhoods USA Conference in Jacksonville

    June 4, 2025
    1 2 3 … 384 Next
    Education
    Education

    Austin Peay’s MPH program receives $27K for childhood literacy initiative. Community LIFT Project to be implemented at Head Start centers this fall

    By Ethan SteinquestJune 30, 2025

    CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Master of Public Health program is on a…

    TSU, State, reach agreement to reallocate $96M to school

    June 26, 2025

    TSU student lands prestigious internship at Harvard Medical School

    June 25, 2025

    FAMU stakeholders file lawsuit to prevent Marva Johnson’s confirmation as the university’s 13th President

    June 21, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/