How Diego Rivera Designed a Place to Honor Mexico’s Pre-Hispanic Art
In the 1940s, Mexican artist Diego Rivera had a dream: to build a sacred place to preserve and display pre-Hispanic art.
The Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this month, is everything he hoped for.
Rivera bought and collected archeological pieces, depicted them on his murals, and designed the Anahuacalli for their exhibition.
Mexico’s pre-Hispanic worldview influenced the Anahuacalli’s architecture. While its main floor represents the underworld — and feels dimly lit and cold — the second and third levels were inspired by the earthly and celestial worlds, which makes them seem warmer and flooded by light.
The three-story pyramid was inaugurated in September 1964, seven years after Rivera died. Its name, Anahuacalli, translates from the Nahuatl language as “house surrounded by water.”
Vocabulary:
preserve – to keep something safe from harm, decay, or destruction so it stays in its original condition, “The museum uses special glass cases to preserve the delicate ancient clothing.”
pre-Hispanic – relating to the period of history in the Americas before the arrival of Spanish explorers and conquerors, “The exhibition featured beautiful gold jewelry from pre-Hispanic civilizations.”
archeological pieces – ancient objects, tools, or pottery dug up from the ground by scientists studying human history, “The team discovered several important archeological pieces during their dig near the old temple ruins.”
depicted – showed, represented, or illustrated something through a painting, drawing, or description, “The artist depicted a busy city market in her latest oil painting.”
murals – very large paintings applied directly and permanently onto a wall, fence, or ceiling, “The students painted colorful murals on the outside walls of the school cafeteria.”
worldview – a complete philosophy or set of beliefs about life, the universe, and human society held by a person or culture, “Living and studying in different countries can completely change a student’s worldview.”
underworld – in myths and legends, the mysterious world of the dead believed to exist deep beneath the surface of the earth, “Ancient stories often describe mythological heroes traveling to the underworld to face dangerous creatures.”
dimly lit – having very soft, low, or faint light that makes it slightly difficult to see clearly, “The cozy restaurant was dimly lit with small candles on every table.”
earthly – relating to life on our planet, physical reality, or human existence, as opposed to a spiritual or heavenly world, “He decided to leave all his earthly possessions behind to go live a quiet life in the mountains.”
celestial – relating to the sky, stars, outer space, or a heavenly realm, “A telescope is a wonderful tool for observing celestial bodies like planets, moons, and comets.”
flooded by – completely filled, brightened, or overwhelmed with a very large amount of something, “The bedroom was flooded by beautiful golden sunlight early in the morning.”
inaugurated – officially or formally opened, introduced, or started for public use during a ceremony, “The new city library was inaugurated by the mayor during a special ribbon-cutting event yesterday.”