By Carole Reedy—

They really aren’t a secret, per se, as they appear in just about every guidebook’s top-ten list. But even though they’re located in mero Centro Histórico, in the building of the Secretaría de Educación Pública (República de Argentina 28), just a block from the Templo Mayor, this series of Rivera murals is often missed by visitors and residents alike. Even by foreigners who have lived in the megalopolis for more than 40 years!

It’s quite a mystery, and one for which I don’t have a sensible answer. Upon seeing the murals for the first time, “Why have I never seen these before?” is a common response.

Just a few blocks away sits the National Palace, housing Rivera’s famous sweeping mural (1929–35), which hugs the grand staircase and continues along the second-floor corridors. Rivera began work on the murals in the Education Building in 1923, completing the project in 1928. The building itself occupies a former convent complex dating from the colonial period.

Today, the building is home to the Museo Vivo del Muralismo, which opened in 2024 following restoration work. Visitors can explore the murals and additional exhibition spaces Wednesday through Monday, from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission is free. Unlike the old government-building arrangement, the museum now welcomes visitors on weekends. Check current arrangements before setting out, particularly on holidays.

At the Secretaría de Educación building, dozens of Diego Rivera murals flow across three floors, enough to put visitors in a tizzy. Take your time to view them all. The ground floor is dedicated largely to the traditions and daily lives of the people of Mexico, including religious and political festivals. The second level explores themes of work, knowledge and social life. On the third level, my favorite, you’ll find powerful images of labor and revolutionary struggles.

A red ribbon floats above a series of murals where the sentiments of revolutionary corridos are written, including The Ballad of Zapata, Agrarian Revolution of 1910 and Thus Will Be the Proletarian Revolution. The allegorical murals are a scathing criticism of the rich and opponents of the Revolution. Favorites include The Arsenal, depicting Frida Kahlo distributing arms to revolutionaries, and another showing a fancy dinner party where wealthy diners are served gold.

When you visit the murals in the Secretaría de Educación, I highly recommend you start or complete your visit at El Mayor terrace restaurant, just half a block away, at the corner of Donceles and República de Argentina. This seems to be another spot overlooked by both tourists and residents of Mexico.

The terrace itself is located above a large Porrúa bookstore. Find the elevator that will take you directly to the restaurant. Here you can sip a glass of wine or cappuccino while enjoying a relaxing breakfast or lunch and contemplating the Templo Mayor Aztec ruins below, with the Zócalo just beyond.

Looking to the right, the view is dominated by the huge cathedral the Spanish built near the ruins of the Aztec ceremonial precinct, an architectural imposition repeated throughout Mexico. (On one of your visits to this most diverse of countries, be sure to head toward Cholula, Puebla, where you can visit the church above ground and explore the ancient pyramid beneath it.)

Diego Rivera is one of the best-known and most renowned muralists of the twentieth century. His works are recognized as masterpieces depicting the lives and struggles of Mexican people. While studying in Europe, he was influenced by Cubism as well as the murals of Italy. The Mexican and Russian Revolutions were passions of Rivera and his famous wife, Frida Kahlo. Rivera’s murals grew out of these political convictions and the couple’s involvement in Communism.

A visit to the National Palace, located on the Zócalo, is also worthwhile when public access is available. Visits to Rivera’s murals may require advance registration and can be affected by official activities, so confirm arrangements before going. Here the painted history of Mexico and the struggles of the Mexican people line the stairway to the second floor, where the murals continue. The blend of colors, both bright and muted, the details of the faces and the rolling landscapes transport you to different periods in the turbulent history of the country.

The Palacio de Bellas Artes houses one of Rivera’s most famous murals, Man, Controller of the Universe, painted in 1934. This work reimagines the mural commissioned by the Rockefeller family and destroyed in New York after controversy erupted over Rivera’s inclusion of Communist leader Vladimir Lenin.

Frida’s Blue House in the neighborhood of Coyoacán is a tourist’s delight, filled with her and Diego’s paintings, personal rooms and her studio. She and Diego lived here for many years, as did Leon Trotsky for a short period before moving to another home just a few blocks away. Be sure to visit Trotsky’s home, too, the place where he was assassinated. Advance tickets are recommended for the Blue House.

In the neighboring colonia of San Ángel, near the San Ángel Inn, Rivera’s art studio and the adjoining houses of Frida and Diego are open to visitors. You may recall that at one point in the topsy-turvy relationship of the pair, they lived in separate houses connected by a bridge.

Regardless of how often you visit Ciudad de México, something new awaits, very often just around the corner.

Visitor information: Museo Vivo del Muralismo, República de Argentina 28, Centro Histórico. museovivodelmuralismo.sep.gob.mx