Palacio de Bellas Artes
(Bellas Artes Palace), located about seven blocks the west of the Zocalo, next
to the Alameda Central Park. Commissioned by President Porfirio Diaz to replace
the previous National Theater that was demolished in 1901, Italian architect
Adamo Boari began the project in 1904. The original plan was to finish in time
to celebrate the centenary of Mexican Independence in 1910, however work was
stalled by the Mexican Revolution and was finally inaugurated in 1934. The
Palace is the main venue of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. There are murals
on interior walls on the first and second floors by some of Mexico's greatest
artists.
One of the highlights of the Palace is the glass curtain in the main
theater. Designed by Mexican artist, Dr. Atl, aka Gerardo Murillo, and built by
Tiffany of New York, this impressive stage curtain is a stained-glass foldable
panel representing the landscape of the Valley of Mexico with its two great
volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztacchihuatl. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the stage curtain during our visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment