Our starting point is the Alameda Park, the oldest public park on the hemisphere, which is home to the famous Diego Rivera Mural Museum. “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park” is a mural originally commissioned to decorate the walls of the Del Prado Hotel, but the fresco was moved from its original site since the building was demolished because of severe damage caused by the 1985 earthquake (the downtown Hilton Hotel is now standing on that site).
We’ll visit the polemic Arte Alameda Laboratory which explores the relationship of art and technology, often exhibiting unusual, cutting edge projects, stopping along the way to take in Sebastian’s contemporary rendition of “El Caballito” and Felguerez’s “Door to 1808” – two monumental outdoor sculptures on our way to the National Lottery Building (an exemplary art deco building). The Lottery Building, once the tallest building in the city, is as impressive inside as it is outside. El Moro, as it is nicknamed, remains coherent inside and out with impeccable art deco design so fashionable in the 30s. A burst of modern murals have recently added color to its vestibule area, narrating the history of the lottery in Mexico.
Our last stop is the Monument to the Revolution, today a mausoleum honoring the heroes of Mexico’s Revolution. Originally earmarked to be the Legislative Palace, it was left unfinished following the Revolution until it was eventually repurposed into a mausoleum and a Museum dedicated to this complex chapter of Mexico’s history.
The city government spruced up the site for the bicentennial festivities, installing a panoramic elevator allowing visitors easy access to the observatory for an impressive bird’s eye view of the city. Although frequently adopted by protesters given its expansive esplanade, the site remains an impressive landmark of the city, with a museum that is well worth visiting.
This walking tour will last approximately three hours.