Mexico City's Zocalo

We are enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures here, along with the food. Today we headed to the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main plaza. Along one side of the Zocalo is the Catedral Metropolitana and perpendicular to it is the Palacio Nacional, both of which we visited today.

The Zocalo is in the foreground and the Catedral in the background.

The Catedral Metropolitana is the largest church in Latin America and was built over the course of more than 240 years. It is a spectacular combination of architecture – the whole of which is definitely greater than its parts.

The Palacio Nacional houses the Mexican president’s offices, as well as those of the Finance Ministry, and was formerly home to the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes. It was also home to many Mexican presidents, including Benito Juarez, who died here.

The Palacio contains a small museum about Benito Juarez and includes a tour through some of the rooms he and his family inhabited. However, the main attraction is the murals by Diego Rivera. Diego Rivera, who painted during the early to mid-1900s, is arguably Mexico’s greatest artist. My pictures cannot possibly do justice to his murals, which encompass Mexico’s history, with special emphasis on the native peoples’ – mostly the Aztec.

Seeing Diego Rivera's work will undoubtedly go down as one of the highlights of our trip, since Selso and I have both been longtime fans of his work. Luckily, Mexico City is awash in Rivera murals, and tomorrow we will see some more.