Mexico City – Palacio National

When you get to the Zocalo, you can’t miss the Palacio National. It takes up the entire eastern side of the square. It’s truly massive. It holds the office of the President, a lot of government departments and best of all, some great art.

Getting inside can be a little daunting. There are a huge number of very angry looking army men with rather large pointy guns. I double checked my guide book, to ensure this was the right place and wandered in. I was a little flustered, as they required some ID to be allowed in. Not that they actually looked at it, but they had to make the show of ensuring you are not a wanted terrorist.

Inside, the building is enormous and rather nice. There is a large internal courtyard with some fine arched walls. That’s not why you visit though. Inside, is perhaps the finest mural ever painted by a Mexican artist. It’s Diego Rivera’s epic tale of the history of Mexico from prehistoric times to the post-revolutionary period.

The main part of the mural sits over the main staircase. On the ends, it depicts the lives of the native people prior to the Spanish arriving. They all look rather happy. Pan to the middle though and you see what happens next. Blood, death and destruction all painted in lovely detail and vibrant colours. Marvellous!

Once you’re up there stairs, the art continues. Along the walls, are a number if smaller murals following the same theme. These ones are lot more manageable, as you’re quite close to them and they’re much smaller. The main mural is amazingly large and complex and can be a bit daunting to piece together all the detail. These smaller ones are much easier to digest.

Out the back, is a botanic garden. There’s also a lot more angry looking dudes with guns, so I didn’t spend much time wandering there.

For the murals alone, the Palacio is a great place to visit. Don’t let the guards with guns deter you. They’re there to protect, not bludgeon you to a bloody mess, so go in. You know you want to.