Last year I spent a week in Mexico City with my aunt, a retired Mexican history professor. What an architectural treat! I’m finally getting a chance to share a few of the highlights.
Palacio de Bellas Artes- Inside this recently restored, golden-topped, art nouveau building are several spectacular murals by Diego Riviera
Casa de los Azulejos- This is the dining court inside a department store in the Centro Historico. The mural wraps around all sides of the light-filled courtyard. I don’t have a photo of the outside of the building, and old palace covered in blue and white tiles
Bold red-orange facade in Centro Historico
Another facade in the Centro Historico, this one a bit less flashy, but has a variety of artful details
Aunt Susan at the giant sundial at UNAM
Approaching the Biblioteca Central UNAM – This walkway seemed a bit out of scale, but the shade was nice
Biblioteca Central – UNAM – The Central Library at UNAM was built in 1948, a collaboration between artist and architect Juan O’Gorman, and Architects Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martinez de Velasco. The exterior is covered in murals depicting the history of Mexico and made out of stones collected from around the country.
Around the Biblioteca Central was a grid of grass squares and concrete pathways that seemed like they could be a giant board for a game. The simple white painted arrows on some of the paths direct bikers properly through the maze.
Grid of lawn squares and concrete paths
The graphic simplicity of bike path through UNAM
Zona Rosa Art Deco Industrial
Zona Rosa greenery
Zona Rosa Glass and Steel
Fuente de la Diana Cazadora
Amber Dome- Museo de Arte Moderno de Mexico
Living Roof – Jardin Botanico, Chapultapec
National Museum of Anthropology Fountain Column
Marquee – Polanco
Mural and Fountain in Los Danzantes Coyoacan
