Diego Rivera's Epic History of Mexico Mural Explained

[00:00:01]Diego Rivera’s, “The History of Mexico: An Epic of  the Mexican People,” is one of his masterpieces.   The fresco mural tells more than 2,000 years of  Mexican History…… from Mesoamerica to the present.   But there’s an emphasis on the  last 700 years of Mexican History.   Commissioned by the Mexican Government.  The mural was painted from May 1929 and   finished in November, 1935. Here’s  the incredible preliminary sketches.   And the transformation to the masterpiece.   The mural takes up 544 meters. It’s divided  into three large historical sections. And   painted on three separate walls within  the awkward stairwell at the National   Palace in Mexico City. With the left side  of the mural painted on the South wall,   the center is north and the West Wall is the  section farthest on the right. The Entire   North wall is called From the Conquest to 1930…  covering about 400 years of Mexican History.   Here’s a closer look at the mural….  Emphasizing the double stairwell.   Within these awkward confines…Diego  painted over 2,000 years of History.   And here’s the masterpiece. From right  to left in mostly chronological order:   Ancient Mexico details the extraordinary  cultures of Mesoamerica. The brutal Spanish   Conquest & Colonization is next. Farther  left is the Mexican Reform movements.   The center space is reserved for the history of  Mexico’s Independence struggles from 1810-1821.   The section to its left tells the  story of the 1910 Mexican Revolution.   French intervention, which happened several  times, including 1861-67… is the next section.   And the last section painted was “Mexico: Today  & Tomorrow.” In the foreground, the Aztec-Spanish   War is played out in 1521. It’s worth noting,  that the Title: The “History of Mexico,” was   NOT the official title given by Diego Rivera,  but it’s a common title most people know the   mural by. In fact, the only title actually given  by Diego Rivera was for the far-left section:   “Mexico Today and Tomorrow.” Here’s a few more  looks of the mural on the double stairwell.   The section, “Ancient America,” was the  first segment painted; it takes up more   than 132 meters of wall space. Let’s break  it down. Quetzalcoatl sits center stage and   is a symbol of wisdom in ancient Mexico for  millennia, most notable in Teotihuacan (as   the feathered serpent) and to the Mexica (better  known as the Aztecs): he’s called: Quetzalcoatl.   He’s a Mesoamerican deity (which he was) and  also the name of a ruler for nations like the   Toltecs (which he also was) and Quetzalcoatl  was also associated with the arts and sciences.   He’s portrayed here with light skin, a fancy  quetzal feathered headdress, with a conch on   his chest, the symbol of the God of Wind:  Quetzalcoatl- Ehecatl (which he also was).   He appears to be holding a Xiuhcoatl, the  most potent weapon in the Aztec world.   Teotihuacan’s Pyramids of the Sun and Moon stand  in the valley behind Quetzalcoatl. Teotihuacan was   one of the largest and greatest urban centers  in Mesoamerica, especially northern Mesoamerica,   but its influence spread as far as Central  America. The mural also appears to shows   the Valley of Anahuac (in central Mexico),  where the Mexica ruled. In the top left,   the head of the Plumed Serpent- Quetzalcoatl- is  erupting from the volcano, likely a reference when   Quetzalcoatl immolated himself. The Inverted Sun  represents the premonition of Ancient Mexico’s   destruction… YES… Native sources suggests they  knew of their eventual destruction. And there   is Quetzalcoatl’s departure. After being disgraced  while drunk…. he transformed into the Star,   or planet, Venus. To the left are Mexicans that  represent the four elements: water, earth, wind,   and fire AND/ OR could represent the crucial four  cardinal points, which is sacred in Mesoamerica.   To the far right is a religious celebration…  using elements like corn, maguey, tobacco,   and other plants… they’re also making music.  The bottom right… are fine cotton producers…   And here are Farmers planting corn with a coa, a  long-handled spade, which was extremely common.   Remember, it was Mexicans scientists  that invented corn after crossbreeding   wild grasses for generations. And here are  Mexican artists… probably an Amantecatl,   or feather workers. Feathers were one of the most  revered precious elements in the ancient world.   Here are Mexican stone sculptors and another  artisan working on a pitcher for liquids.   Right next to him is a Tlacuilto, a scribe  drawing a codex using pictographic writing, which   was prevalent in Mesoamerica….. Yes... Ancient  Americans wrote books. Libraries full of books.   And here’s a jeweler working with gold. And  here’s someone working on ceramics. Tamemes…   were the principle method of moving heavy  goods in Mesoamerica. In the top left are   Mexica Warriors… one of them appears to be  an Eagle Warrior, one of the highest ranks   in the Mexica army. A prisoner of War. And at the  bottom is a dissident denouncing powerful nations   like the Mexica… It’s an Uprising!!! And the  ensuing Battle…. Where local natives fight back.   Diego Rivera was fascinated with Mesoamerican  History and personally collected over 60,000   Mexican artifacts. And here’s all the  data for the 1st section: Ancient America.   Let’s continue with the foreground narrative,  entitled: “From the conquest to 1930.” Painted   from 1929-1931, and taking up 288.58 meters.  Here’s the capitalist & mass murderer Hernan   Cortes who lead Natives in arms against  the Mexica, killing tens of thousands   of non-combatants. And in one case he forced  Native women and children to watch as 1,000s   of people were killed in public under his order.  He stands above a massive cannon killing Mexicans.   Just above are native Mexicans, forced to tear  down Mexican buildings in order to build Spanish   ones. Spanish horses worked liked medieval tanks  and slaughtered many Native Mexicans. To the left,   Vasco de Quiroga was a missionary who helped  Natives, earning him the nickname, “Tato Vasco.”   He also taught arts, trades, and  was the first bishop of Michoacán.   Fray Pedro de Gante was a Flemish Franciscan  and one of the first missionaries who arrived   in Mexico where he spent nearly 50  years evangelizing Native Mexicans.   Here’s a nun that specifically supported  the catechizing of Mexican girls.   Fray Bartolome de las Casas, was a theologian,  a Spanish Dominican missionary, and bishop of   Chiapas. He is best known for protecting Native  Americans in the Caribbean and Mexico, partly by   speaking up and writing critically against the  Church in works such as “History of the Indes.”   Destroying Native religion was paramount  and as you can see, forced conversions were   a key strategy. In some cases, missionaries  baptized as many as 40,000 people in one day…   although the conversion to Christianity wasn’t  thorough by any stretch of the imagination,   Mexico developed a syncretic or  hybrid version of Christianity.   In the center is the Mexican eagle holding the  atl-tlachinolli, the Aztec sign for war (water   and fire). The eagle, probably represents their  patron deity Huitzilopochtli, rests on a nopal   tree on top of a solar disc. Here is Cuauhtemoc,  the last Aztec leader, heading the defense of   Tenochtitlan against the Spanish. He’s using an  Aztec sling that can fire projectiles 149 mph.  And here is Cuitlahuac, brother of Moctezuma the  II (yes, that Moctezuma, that you probably know   as Montezuma), he lead the Noche Triste battle  that kicked the Spanish out of Tenochtitlan,   but later died of smallpox. Here’s an  Aztec priest holding up a sacrificial heart   (which is the LEAST common type of “sacrifice” in  the Aztec world). Hernan Cortes again… leading the   Spanish siege of Tenochtitlan that killed  tens of thousands of women and children.  Here is a Tlaxcalteca warrior, who  was allied with the Spanish… and   thus holds a Spanish sword. And you can  see the raging battle between the Aztecs   and their allies … and the Spanish and  their allies. Fray Bernardino de Sahagun   destroyed many Native codices, but also  studied and wrote Mexican histories,   most notably in “Historia general de las cosas de  la Nueva España” in 1540. Pedro Moya de Contreras,   was the first Inquisitor, 3rd archbishop, and  Viceroy of Mexico. Juan de Mendoza was the   Archbishop and Inquisitor with immense  authority in Mexico under New Spain’s   Inquisition system that tortured and killed many.  Here are Spaniards aided by Tlaxcala warriors,   their most fervid and numerous ally. Here,  Diego shows the rape of a Native Mexican women   by conquistadores. Here’s Hernan Cortes for a 3rd  time, this time with his concubine / translator   La Malinche (Cortes was actually legally married  by the Church at that time; his wife was back in   Spain). Their pictured with Martin, their mestizo  son, who she never saw after Martin was born. And   here she is: Malintzin or Malinali more commonly  known as La Malinche and baptized: Doña Marina.   She was probably 13 or 14, & was part of a  group of 20 girls given to the Spanish as a   gift. Although Cortes originally gave her to one  of his captains, he took her back. Yes, she was   an interpreter, but there are many examples where  she acted on her own accord, essentially not just   translating but going out of her to way to help  the Spanish. That’s partly why, to this day,   her name is synonymous with traitor: Malinchista.  For centuries The Spanish invested lots of time   and money in destroying Mexico’s past… here is  Fray Juan de Zumarraga burning codices in Texcoco.   And Fray Diego de Landa burned Mayan manuscripts…  only about 13 codices painted before 1492 remain.   Here are unfortunate people tortured then  killed during the Spanish Inquisition.   Here is a friar burning Mexican books (codices).  Pedro de Alvarado was one of Cortes’ most trusted   lieutenants and is seen here branding Mexicans  on the face with a red-hot iron so they can be   sold as slaves. And you can see the brand if you  look closely, it’s the G for Guerra – Prisoner of   War- with lines and dots. Alvarado also led the  massacre during the Aztec Festival of Toxcatl,   killing hundreds of defenseless dancers and  patrons. And Rivera paints Natives forced to   destroy their buildings and use the same  stones to build Spanish buildings, which   include the National Palace, the Metropolitan  Cathedral in the Zocalo, Cortes’ Palace,   the Church at Tlateloco… and many more. We’ve  covered most of the foreground, so let’s go   to the top right section of the mural. On the top  right, is Nicolas Bravo, standing with his sword.   He was a Mexican politician who served as interim  President of Mexico on two occasions. And when   the United States invaded Mexico, he was the  General defending Chapultepec, in Mexico City.   He stands by Military Cadets defending  Chapultepec from the U.S. Invaders.   The eagle hovering is holding a symbol  for war. The next section is Reform.   Near the top is Juan Alvarez, a Federalist &  Republican leader who defeated the centralist   government of Santa Anna and proclaimed the  Ayutla Plan. He was also President from 1855-86.   Jose Santos Degollado is to his right. He was  a Mexican soldier and politician…. He fought   in support of the Benito Juarez government  and was a member of Juarez’s cabinet and   Constitution Congress of 1857. To his right, is  Luis Ghilandi……. Who was an Italian soldier and   republican activist. In Mexico, he supported  the Ayutla Plan…. He also took part in the   siege of Puebla in 1863, he was later captured  and shot by imperialists. Manuel de la Barcena,   who’s just below, was born in Spain but was  rector of the Valladolid seminary in Morelia and   governor of the Prelacy of Michoacan. He signed  the Act of Independence in 1821. Miguel Miramon   is to his right. He was a student of the  Chapultepec Military Academy as a youth. Diego   paints him brandishing a broken sword as a sign  of betrayal for his support of the invading French   on Mexican soil. He was executed by firing squad.  Lazaro de la Garza y Ballesteros is to his right.   First a priest, he became Bishop of Sonora in  1837. By 1850 he became the Archbishop of Mexico.   But as a result of his attacks on the  Reform Laws, he was exiled by President   Juarez. Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y  Davalos was a priest, lawyer and doctor.   He was Archbishop of Mexico from 1863-1891.  He was active with Maximilian, but expelled   because of his differences with the French  regarding the rights of the church in Mexico.   Here is Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, the infamous  President of Mexico on 11 different occasions….   That’s right…. Eleven. While President, Americans  stole Texas from Mexico, Yes, the Alamo was in   Mexico. Then the U.S. invaded Mexico on separate  occasions, including the U.S. Mexican war   and took 55% of Mexico’s land. His constant  intervening in politics eventually led to his   exile. To his right is Pedro Espinoza.  Bishop of Guadalajara and head of   the Colegio de San Ildefonso. Archbishop  Pelagio Antonio de Labastida is next. Known   as a defender of the Church’s properties and  privileges. In the top left is Melchor Ocampo….   Who was a liberal politician who was exiled due to  his opposition of Santa Anna. In the U.S., he met   Juarez & later was part of the 1857 Constituent  Congress & became minister under Juarez.  Ignacio Ramirez “The Necromancer”…. His thesis  for entrance into the Academy of San Juan de   Letran was: “God does not exist, natural  beings sustain themselves,”…. His critical   and questioning journalism earned him several  prison sentences. He served as magistrate of the   Supreme Court of Justice until his death. Benito  Juarez…. The 1st Indigenous President of Mexico.   He led the 1857 Constitution and the Reform Laws  that separated the Church & State. Above him are   men with picks and shovels destroying churches,  symbol of the importance of his mandate;…. The   all seeing eye is an allusion to the 33rd  degree that Juarez attained as a free mason.   Ignacio Manuel Altamirano was a journalist,  teacher, and liberal politician. He was elected   Deputy to the Constitutional Congress where he was  a great orator. After the Republic was restored,   he devoted himself to the arts, and was renown,  holding public positions, but living in poverty.   Moving to the far left, Jose Maria Iglesias was  a distinguished Mexican politician, jurist, and   writer. During the Juarez administration, he was  minister on five occasions (Justice, the Treasury,   and Interior), and later served as President  of the Supreme Court of Justice. In 1876,   he also declared himself Constitutional  President. Just below, Ponciano Arriaga   was a liberal ideologist and reformer,  banished by Santa Anna. In the United States,   he met popular liberals and after the Ayutla  revolution, he came back to Mexico. He became a   deputy in the Constitutional Congress and largely  responsible for drafting the Mexican Constitution.   Jose Maria Mata was head of civilian  militias in Jalapa and fought against   the U.S. invaders in Cerro Gordo and was  sent to New Orleans as a Prisoner of War.   After he was freed, he fought  against Santa Anna, who exiled him.   After the Ayutla Revolution, he joined Juarez and  was elected deputy to the Constitutional Congress.   He served as Minister of the Treasury under  Juarez & years later, as Minister of Relations   under Porfirio Diaz. Ignacio Comonfort was a  colonel with the Acapulco militias and elected   deputy to Congress on several occasions. He was  also interim President of Mexico from 1855-1857.   He was elected again, but General Zuloaga rose  up in arms against him, which led Commonfort   to resign and Benito Juarez, President of the  Supreme Court of Justice, assumed the Presidency.   In 1863, Juarez named him general-in-chief of  his forces in the struggle against the French.   Valentin Gomez Farias… studied medicine at the  University of Guadalajara in 1807, but went into   politics and in 1821 joined the Iguala Plan…..  He later approved the coronation of Agustin de   Iturbide. He also acted as Interim president on 5  occasions during the Santa Anna on-and-off-reign.   The next section is The Independence of  1810. Looking at the top centered vines….   Miguel Hidalgo increased the cultivation of vines,  which had been reduced by repeated prohibitions by   Spain in order to promote Spanish Wine instead of  Mexican. Hidalgo also established the silk worm in   Mexico by planting eighty mulberry trees. Martin  Cortes is to the right is, known as “El mestizo,”   the son of Hernan Cortes and essentially enslaved  concubine and translator, Dona Marina, also known   as “La Malinche.” Born in Mexico, he was educated  in Spain… when he returned to Mexico he allegedly   took part in a conspiracy in 1565. He was tried  under the Inquisition, and was permanently exiled   from the Americas. Ignacio Allende was an officer  in the Queen’s Dragoons… and a main conspirator   in Valladolid in 1809 and 10. He was a crucial  part of Mexican Independence with Father Hidalgo.   He was an important organizer of the insurgent  military and was appointed Field Marshall. But he   was betrayed in Chihuahua, tried, and executed for  his part in Mexico’s Independence movement from   Spain. After he was executed, his head was put on  display at the corner of Alhondiga de Granaditas.   Father Miguel Hidalgo was the most famous spark  in Mexico’s Independence movement which started in   1810. Hidalgo was a parish priest in the Dolores,  Guanajuato. In 1809 he joined a group aimed   at riding Spain from their 300-year tyranny of  Mexico. On the night of September/ early morning   of September 16, Hidalgo carried the banner of the  Virgen de Guadalupe & pronounced the now famous:   Grito de Dolores, which was the final spark for  revolution. His army had initial success, but he   was captured, defrocked, then tried and executed.  Spain also put his head on display in Guanajuato.   Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon was also a priest and  fought in the war of Independence. On September 13   he convened the Congresso Nacional Constituyete  in Chilpancingo, and proclaimed Independence.   After fighting many battles, he was captured  in 1815 and killed by Spain. Hermenegildo   Galeana was a Mexican soldier. In 1810 he  joined a pro-independence army in Morelos,   carrying with him a little gun called “El Nino.”   In 1811 he defeated loyalist in Tixtla, captured  Taxco, and entered Cuernavaca. In 1813 he fought   bravely during the Capture of Acapulco castle,  but later died in the battle of Coyuca, Guerrero.   Mariano Matamoros y Guridi was a liberal Mexican  priest who joined Morelos in 1811 fighting for   independence, fighting in important battles in  Oaxaca, and Tenancingo. He manufactured weapons   and led troops. He was also captured and killed  in the main square of Valladolid. Francisco Javier   Mina was the General Commander of Navarre during  Mexico’s Independence War. He Fought against the   Monarchy of Ferdinand VII. He recruited officers  from Europe and the U.S. and landed at Soto La   Mariana on April 15, 1817. He fought and earned  many victories but was also captured and shot.   Guadalupe Victoria was the 1st  President of the Republic in 1824,   who also fought for Independence under Morelos.  He was opposed to Iturbide, Mexico’s 1st emperor,   backed the military revolution of Santa Anna in  1822. He ordered the abolition of slavery and the   expulsion of the Spaniards… and solidified  international relations with Great Britain,   the U.S., Central American and  Simon Bolivar’s: Gran Colombia.   Nicolas Bravo was supreme leader near the end  of the Independence War, working with Morelos.   He was captured and held prisoner for 3 years.  He helped depose Iturbide and on two occasions,   although briefly, he was President. In 1847, he  defended Chapultepec castle from the invading   Americans and later was poisoned. Jose  Mariano Jimenez settled in Guanajuato,   joining Hidalgo with 3,000 men, fighting  many battles. Captured like many before,   he was shot with Allende and Aldama and his  head was also put on display by the Spanish.

[00:25:24]Juan Aldama was Captain in the cavalry  of Queen Isabel II at the start of the   Independence War. But he fought with Allende in  many battles until both were captured and killed;   and his severed head was put on display.   Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez was nicknamed the  “la Corregidora,” (the female magistrate).   She was married to the magistrate of Queretaro  and backed independence and was arrested. Vicente   Guerrero was an Insurgent leader in Morelos’s  army and joined the Plan de Iguala in 1821. He   fought in many battles and later tried to depose  Iturbide. He was President for only months in 1829   and shot in 1831. Mariano Abasolo was a Mexican  soldier and fought with Allende and Aldama, and   was even with Hidalgo and Allende on September 15  (the start of Independence Wars). He was captured,   but his life was saved due to his wealthy wife,  but died in 1816 after sentenced to life in   prison. This is the Banner of the 3 Guarantees  under which the triumphant Trigarante army entered   Mexico City, achieving Independence on September  27, 1821. Leona Vicario was a hero of the Mexican   War of Independence. She used her personal fortune  to manufacture weapons and led a postal service.   She also paid for the welfare  of captured freedom fighters.   She was captured and tried in 1813,  but was rescued from prison & continued   to spread Independence ideals  with her husband, Quintana Roo.   Born in Merida, Andres Quintana Roo was a member  of parliament in Puebla, who signed the Act of   Independence in 1813. He drafted the Apatzingan  constitution. Later he was a Supreme Court judge   and helped defined the borders with the US.  and defeated the bid for Yucatan independence.   Manuel Gomez Pedraza was a royalist soldier….  But later became president of Mexico,   but withdrew because of opposition.  Exiled until 1832, he returned after   another presidential run that failed; he was  a member of Iturbide’s imperial household.   Agustin de Iturbide was a scion and resisted  Independence freedom fighters, in 1821 he   convened the Plan de Iguala. After Independence  in 1821 he was crowned Emperor, but his royal   reign lasted only 10 months. He was exiled as the  traitor he was, returned and was shot. The next   figures are more associated with the Mexican  Revolution, but Rivera includes them here….   Jose de Leon Toral is known for assassinating  General Obregon. He was executed on February 9.   Concepcion Acevedo de la Llata,  better known as “Mother Conchita,”   was tried for instigating Obregon’s murder and  imprisoned. Luis Morones was the leader of CROM,   The Regional Confederation of Mexican  Workers. With great Political power,   he became Minister of industry in the Calles  government. And was exiled for following Calles.   Alvaro Obregon fought against Villa and  Zapata, but eventually changed sides. He   was elected President between 1920 and  1924, helping to stabilize the country,   disbanded most of the army, re-established  international relations, and helped the economy.   He created the Secretaria de Educacion Publicia,  aka, the Ministry of Education. He was re-elected   in 1928, but was assassinated before taking  office. Plutarco Elias Calles was a general,   serving under President Carranza, later  rebelling against him. He was Minister of the   Interior during Obregon’s administration and later  elected President of Mexico between 1924 and 1928.   During his rule, he promoted agrarian reform,  modernized the army, and constructed roadways. In   1926, he expelled all foreign clergy, closed the  churches, and established rules for the Church.   The Church was in uproar, and helped foster an  armed rebellion known as the “Cristero War.”  He was later expelled and his time in power is  known as the “Maximato.” Felipe Carrillo Puerto   was the Governor of Yucatan, a progressive,  and known as the “Apostle of the Mayan Race.”   He founded the Southeast Socialist Party. He was  later shot during the de la Huerta rebellion.   Jose Guadalupe Rodriguez was an agrarian leader,  a socialist he favored land distribution to the   people. He knew Diego Rivera and was later  assassinated during the wave of repression.   Emiliano Zapata is one of the most  famous figures of the Mexican Revolution,   and known as a Mexican agrarian revolutionary  leader, especially in Southern Mexico.   Based in Morelos, his slogan was “Tierra Y  Libertidad,” and he supported peasant workers. He   supported the agrarian Ayala Plan and  was later betrayed and assassinated.   The next section: “The Revolution of 1910.”   Here Rivera shows the Church still holds  immense power in national politics.   Carmen Romero Rubio de Diaz, was the daughter  of Manuel Romero Rubio and Agustina Castello;   She was married at only 12 years old to General  Porfirio Diaz, the dictator. General Porfirio Diaz   is Mexico’s most famous dictator which  lasted nearly four decades. Born in Oaxaca,   he became President in 1877 until 1911. His  corruption spawned the Mexican Revolution.   He was anti-media, anti-democracy, he was racist,  attacked anyone who spoke out against him,   favored big business and foreigners, and enacted  laws that helped the elite but hurt most Mexicans.   Jose Yves Limantour was Minister of  the Treasury during Diaz’s presidency….   During his tenure many Mexicans starved.   Victoriano Huerta was part of a group that  assassinated Francisco Madero, in the National   Palace. He was Mexican President from Feb. 1913  to July 1914 with typical Mexican oppression.   General Manuel Mondragon was opposed to Madero and  collaborated with Huerta in the military uprising.   Manuel Romero Rubio was exiled for his liberal  ideals; He served as a judge and served with   Benito Juarez and was Secretary of the interior  under the Diaz dictatorship. Ignacio Mariscal was   a liberal Oaxacan lawyer. Mariscal served in the  Three Year War and served in Juarez’s government.   Carlos Pacheco was a liberal who fought against  imperialism; He was the Governor of Morelos,   leader of the Federal District and Minister  of Trade and Industry during the Porfiriato.   Manuel Gonzalez Cosio served as Minister of  Communications and Public Works, Minister of   the Interior, Trade and Industry, and War and the  Navy during the Diaz dictatorship. Sostenes Rocha   first opposed the Ayutla Plan, but later  joined Juarez against French intervention.   He was the director of the military school  under Diaz, known for writing military books.   Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada was Interim  President, started another political party,   and was President in 1872. Justo Sierra was  Minister of Education from 1905 to 1911,   nicknamed “Teacher of America.” Gabino Barreda  was a scientist and educator who collaborated   with Benito Juarez in improving the country’s  educational system. He drew the plans for the   National Preparatory School and directed  it for 10 years. Guillermo Prieto saved   Benito Juarez’s life by standing in front  of Juarez and rebel troops in Guadalajara.   Esteban Baca Calderon was a leader of the Cananea  Strike, one of the last sparks that started the   Mexican Revolution. He was imprisoned in San  Juan de Ulua and later fought against Huerta.   Camilo Arriaga was a defender of the  Reform Laws during the Porfiriato,   helped found the Ponciano Arriaga Liberal Club,  was arrested with them, but found refuge in the   United States with the Flores Magon brothers.  Antonio Diaz Soto y Gama was a liberal lawyer,   Zapatista supporter, defender of the Ayala Plan  and founded the National Agrarian Party. He was   also a Professor of Agrarian Law and Mexican  History at UNAM, the University of Mexico.   Felipe Angeles was a career soldier. He was  also a Carranza dissident, but still served   with him in the Constitutionalist Army. He also  supported Pancho Villa, who named him delegate to   the Convention of Aguascalientes. Emiliano Zapata  is one of the most famous figures of the Mexican   Revolution, known as the Mexican agrarian  revolutionary leader, especially in Southern   Mexico. Based in Morelos, his slogan was “Tierra  Y Libertidad.” and supported peasant workers.   Otilio Montano was a teacher and one of  Zapata’s main advisors and generals. He’s   also credited with drafting the Ayala Plan. Like  Zapata, he was killed during the Revolution.   Juan Sarabia was a lawyer and fought against Diaz  under the Mexican Liberal Party. He worked with   anti-reelectionist publications against Diaz  and was supported by the Flores Magon brothers   and was consequently imprisoned in San Juan  de Ulua. He was also a Senator for the Federal   District in Mexico City. Carmen Serdan was  a liberal woman who embraced the revolution.   During the initial shooting in her house, in  Puebla, she was wounded and taken prisoner.   She worked as a nurse during the revolution.  Aquiles Serdan worked against Diaz too and   after meeting Francisco Madero offered to start  the revolution in Puebla, which did happen. Once   the Diaz dictatorship learned of the revolution  the federal government surrounded his house and he   was killed in a fire fight. General Pascual Orozco  was also Anti Diaz and initially Madero’s ally,   later acting on his own account. He fought with  Huerta and sacked Leon, Guanajuato. Jose Garibaldi   was an Italian Lieutenant Colonel that arrived in  Mexico in 1911 & fought alongside Madero & took   part in the attack on Casa Grandes, Chihuahua.  Pancho Villa. His real name was Doroteo Arango…   was probably the most famous  Revolutionary leader in the North…   for a brief time he fought alongside Zapata and  against Carranza and like Zapata was assassinated.   Juan Sanchez Azcona, was an anti-re-electionist  journalist, and close collaborator of Madero.   And had several government  positions with Carranza & Huerta   General Lucio Blanco fought under Carranza  and Obregon. In Tamaulipas, he carried out   the first division of land in northern Mexico,  and was in the Convention of Aguascalientes;   he was later assassinated. Jose Maria-Pino  Suarez was Vice-President under Madero. And   was assassinated with Madero on the orders  of Victoriano Huerta y Angeles Felix during   the “ten tragic days.” Francisco Madero was  jailed by President Diaz and later called for   the Revolution to begin on November 20, 1910. He  then exiled Diaz, & became President of Mexico.   Madero was assassinated by orders  of Huerta, who betrayed him.   Abraham Gonzalez, with Madero, was the  co-founder of the Anti-Re-electionist   Party, & was Minister of the Interior during  Madero’s rule; he was later assassinated.   Manuel Dieguez was a worker in the Cananea  Consolidated Copper Company. He helped organize   the Union Liberal Humanidad and the famous  strike on, June 1906. He was jailed in San   Juan de Ulua & freed by revolutionaries in 1911.  He was eventually shot for being anti Huerta.   Jose Guadalupe Posada, was one of the greatest  Mexican artists that ever lived. Most famous for   an engraver and lithographs printed in countless  publications, his images defined the era. He was   most famous for his skulls, like La Catrina which  are still incredibly famous today and in Dia de   Los Muertos celebrations. Jose Vasconcelos was  the Minister of Public Education from, 1921-24,   and probably most famous for his essay: “The  Cosmic Race,” & for the mural program that   covered the country in murals from artists  like Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, y Orozco.   Ricardo Flores Magon was pro-democracy,  and co-founded the newspaper: Regeneracion.   Due to his pro democracy & Anti-Diaz  dictatorship, he was attacked and fled to   the U.S. where he continued to write. Venustiano  Carranza was President and successor to Huerta,   known as the 1st Leader of the Constitutionalist  Army. Pancho Villa and Zapata were originally on   his side, but later became his main adversary.  He was called a traitor to the Revolution.   Luis Cabrera was the Minister of the Treasury  under Carranza, and defended agrarian rights   and influenced the constitution, especially  Article 27……. Land Reform and distribution.   The second to the last section moving  leftward is: “French Intervention.”   Here are the Forts of Loreto & Guadalupe,  the bastions of the defense of Puebla & also   the scene of the Mexican victory  over Napoleon III’s army in 1862.   This eagle represents the Hapsburgs, which is  also flying toward Europe after the execution of   Maximilian. Tomas Mejia was a soldier who defended  the country during the United States invasion.   He was executed with the Hapsburg Maximilian and  General Miramon on the Cerro de las Campanas.   Maximilian of the House of Hapsburg….. Was an  Austrian Archduke whom the Mexican conservatives   asked to reign over Mexico, while Benito Juarez  was constitutional president. He moved to Mexico   and established himself as emperor. When France  withdrew its military support, he was captured and   shot on the Cerro de las Campanas along with  his generals Miguel Miramon and Tomas Mejia.   Mariano Escobedo fought against the  U.S. Invasion. In 1854, he defended the   Ayutla Plan, which eventually  ended the Santa Anna dictatorship.   Here’s Benito Juarez, again… the Ignacio Zaragoza  was the Minister of War and the Navy under Juarez.   As a commander in chief of the Army of the  East, he lead the defense of Puebla, winning the   Battle of Puebla on Cinco de Mayo, 1862. He died  4 months later in Mexico City Miguel Negrete Novoa   was a distinguished Mexican officer during the  war with France. He defended Loreto during the   Cinco de Mayo battle against the French. And here  is the last section: Mexico today and tomorrow.   Painted in 1934, which takes up 132.8 meters.   Near the center, Rivera paints a police force  protecting the interests of the rich and elite,   attacking the people they are sworn to  protect who are engaging in peaceful protest.   Here you see “golden shirt” aggressors,  purportedly anti-Communists and a symbol   of the reactionary right wing, a member of the  Catholic organization, the Knights of Columbus,   wearing the cross of the Maquis. Rivera was  a well-known communist. And to the far right,   conservative police murder poor people who want  change. At the bottom, Mexicans peasants are   reaping wheat. They are exploited by landowners  and you also see exploited industrial workers…   who Rivera uses to show oppression of the  people by the corrupt Mexican elite. Here,   his wife Frida Kahlo and her sister, Cristina  Kahlo, are portrayed as Socialist educators.   To Frida’s left…. You see a money-making machine  under the altar of the Virgin of Guadalupe,   an exploitative friar, a peasant, & the  idiotic bourgeoisie. These contributed to   the immense power and riches of the Church. On  either side of the Virgen de Guadalupe image,   hang several flags, including the U.S.  flag and the flag of, Christ the King.   To the left is an image of corrupt clergy  having sexual sins with a female congregate.   Just above are images of United States  bourgeoisie, from left to right:   John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Harry Sinclair,  William Durant, John Pierpont Morgan,   Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Andrew Mellon. Here,  Army officers, fat capitalists, and ecclesiastics:   which are represented by politicians including  Calles, Moronees, Ortiz Rubio, Abelardo Rodriguez,   and corrupt members of the clergy. They  have grown rich by exploiting the masses.   Here are exploited workers and laborers. Just  above is Fernando Ocaranza Carmona, the former   rector of the National University, teaching  students the doctrines of Mexican Socialism.   Far left: The images represent the two  facets of public education: the people,   represented by students at the Workers’ University  with Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’ under their arms…… and   the education of the ruling classes. Near  the top, but positioned near the center,   a strong Mexican worker haranguing the masses  under the Soviet flag…. You also see soldiers   with gas masks, and the City of Mexico in  flames during the Proletarian revolution.   On top…. is Karl Marx, with a caption from his  “Communist Manifesto” showing the revolutionary   trinity (soldier, laborer, and peasant).  The new progressive society that will result   from Mexico’s socialist revolution, founded on  industry, agriculture, and science. To his left,   Marx points to the proletarian struggle and  the Utopia of a Socialist and just future.   And there we have it. Diego  Rivera’s epic… masterpiece….   The History of Mexico… which covers  more than 2,000 years… and details   230 historical figures & historical events  within these 554 meters at the national palace…   one of the greatest historical murals ever.  Thanks so much for watching. Viva Mexico.