Mexico Palaces: Palacio Nacional, Plaza de la Constitución, Castillo de Chapultepec

Palacio Nacional

The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is traditionally nicknamed the "City of Palaces"; It was dubbed so by Alexander von Humboldt, after he visited it in the late 18th century and early 19th century.

 Plaza de la Constitución

In Central Mexico, the Aztec Emperors built many palaces in the capital of their empire,Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City), some of which may still be seen.

Castillo de Chapultepec

Inside the palace there are murals painted by Diego Rivera, they were painted between 1929 and 1945. His México a Través de los Siglos (Mexico Through the Centuries), on the main stairwell leading to the first floor, depicts every major event and person of Mexican history, from Cortés’ conquest of the Aztecs and Mexico to the Mexican Revolution, all with Rivera’s typical Marxist twist. The most famous being the "Epic of the Mexican People in their Struggle for Freedom and Independence", which condenses two thousand years of history onto the space of a wall.

Our favorite is "The Legend of Quetzalcoatl" which shows the famous tale of the feathered serpent bringing a blond-bearded white man to the country.

When Cortés first arrived, many Aztecs, recalling this legend, believed him to be Quetzalcoatl. Soon they realized that he was anything but this beloved god.

Another mural tells of the American Intervention when American invaders marched into Mexico City during the War of 1847. It was on this occasion that the military cadets of Chapultepec Castle (then a military school) fought bravely to the last man. The most notable of Rivera's murals is the Great City of Tenochtitlán, a study of the original settlement in the Valley of Mexico.

A monument honouring Benito Juarez is on the ground floor. The residence and momentos of Benito Juarez are also on display.

This building seems to contain countless rooms, wide stone stairways, and many courtyards which are adorned with carved brass balconies.

The National Palace, or Palacio Nacional, located in Mexico City's main square, the Plaza de la Constitución (El Zócalo), first built in 1563, is in the heart of the Mexican capital. In 1821, the palace was given its current name and the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government were housed in the palace; the latter two branches would eventually reside elsewhere. During the Second Mexican Empire, its name was changed, for a time, to the Imperial Palace. The National Palace continues to be the official seat of the executive authority, although it is no longer the official residence of the President.

Also in Mexico City is the Castillo de Chapultepec, or Chapultepec Castle, located in the middle of Chapultepec Park which currently houses the Mexican National Museum of History. It is the only castle, or palace, in North America that was occupied by sovereigns - Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, a member of the House of Habsburg and his consort, Empress Carlota of Mexico, daughter of Leopold I of Belgium. The palace features many objets d'art ranging from gifts of Napoleon III's to paintings by Franz Xaver Winterhalter and Mexican painter Santiago Rebull.