MÉXICO CITY
MUSEUMS
The Federal District more museums than anywhere else in the country. These museums contain samples from pre Hispanic as well as colonial cultures, they have displays of the history of the city and collections of modern art. There are also Nature museums and those dedicated to Mexican handicrafts. The most outstanding are the National Museum of Anthropology, the Frida Kahlo Museum, the History Museum in Chapultepec Castle, the Modern Art Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Rufino Tamayo (Art) Museum, the Papalote Children’s Museum, the Mexico City Museum, the Franz Mayer Museum, the Diego Rivera Museum, the National Art Museum and the San Diego Gallery of Vice Regal Art.
Chapultepec Castle
The castle dates from 1785 when the viceroy Gálvez ordered that a town be built on top of the hill. It was used at the residence of the governors of the moment, the Military College and now houses the National Museum of History, having been remodeled several times in the course of its existence.
Museum of Anthropology
This museum houses the most important collection of archaeological pieces in the country, displayed in 11 exhibition halls showing the richness of Mexico´s pre-Hispanic past.
National Museum of Art
Opposite Plaza de Tolsá stands this fascinating construction built between 1904 and 1911 to house the Secretariat of State for Communications. In 1982 it was turned into a museum to show the development of plastic arts in Mexico.
Papalote, Children´s Museum
This museum, with its combination of games and knowledge, manual dexterity and visual learning, was specially designed for children. It also has an outsize screen for projecting films on nature and other subjects.
Rufino Tamayo Museum
This modern style museum was designed by two architects, González de León and Zabludovsky and has permanent exhibitions and displays of works by Rufino Tamayo. There are also sculptures and paintings by other famous artists such as Picasso and Salvador Dali.
The Franz Mayer Museum
Franz Mayer was an German antique dealer who left his valuable collection to Mexico. The collection is now on display in a building that was a 17th century hospital. The collection consists of objets d´art from the colonial period, including, ceramics, tiles, furniture, sculptures, and textiles.
The Modern Art Museum
The permanent exhibitions at this museum consist of a collection of works by artists from the Mexican school of painting, such as Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Diego Rivera, and Francisco Toledo. This is a modernist building with a curvilinear style, and apart from the permanent displays, there are also rooms with temporary exhibitions.
The National Museum of the Viceroyalty
Located in Tepozotlán, 46 km north of downtown Mexico, this museum has exhibitions of religious paintings by Cristóbal Villalpando, marble sculptures, and historical objects. The building housing the museum, an excellent example of the New Spanish baroque style, used to belong to the Jesuits.
The Natural History Museum
Located in the second section of Chapultepec Forest and housed in a modern-style building, this museum has exhibitions on themes related to the creation of the universe and the evolution of living beings on planet Earth.
PERFORMING ARTS
The most important place for national and international classical concerts and the other performing arts in Mexico City is the beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes (The Palace of Fine Arts). Other important venues include the Teatro de la Ciudad (The City Theater), the Auditorio Nacional (the National Auditorium), the Juan Ruiz de Alarcón Theater and the Nezahualcoyotl and Ollin Yoliztli concert halls.
Auditorio Nacional
Hosts frequent concerts by popular Mexican entertainers as well as renowned international artists.
CATEGORY: Music and Dance
National Center for the Arts (Centro Nacional de las Artes)
A new Arts complex dedicated to the teaching and practice of dance, theater, plastic arts, music, and cinematography was inaugurated in 1994. This building, designed by the Legorreta firm of architects, has contributed a great deal to the improvement of the urban landscape. National Folkloric Ballet.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Performances of Mexico’s world renowned National Folkloric Ballet are held here Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
National Autonomous University Cultural Center
This is considered one of the world’s finest concert halls for its outstanding acoustics.
Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts)
The Italian architect, Adamo Boari, started work on this magnificent building in 1904, but it was completed by Federico Mariscal in 1934. One of the main construction materials is marble, and the building has several sculptures by Spanish and Italian artists and mural paintings by Orozco, Diego Rivera, Camarena, Tamayo and Siqueiros. The exterior is in the Art Nouveau style, while the interior is art deco. The auditorium has an audience capacity of two thousand.
Chapultepec Park, Primera Seccion
Mexico´s National Dance Company is famed for its interpretation of Tschaikowsky´s classical ballet which it performs out of doors, with a small island on a lake serving as the stage.
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