‘Dream of a Sunday afternoon in the Alameda Central‘ is a mural of Diego Rivera What can you see when you walk through it? Historic Center of Mexico City.
This work dating from the mid-20th century was commissioned by the architect Carlos Obregon Santacilia. In addition, the mural was rescued after the two earthquakes of 1985. Find out the details here.
Dream of a Sunday afternoon in Alameda Central: Origin of one of Diego Rivera’s most emblematic murals
Obregón Santacilia was the architect in charge of the design and construction of the Prado Hotel. From the beginning of the project, he proposed to Diego Rivera the realization of a mural that was placed in the Versalles dining room.
In such a way that between July and September 1947, the Mexican muralist created, with the support of the painter Rina Bowthe wall ‘Dream of a Sunday afternoon in the Alameda Central‘.
The mural has dimensions of 4.17 meters by 15.67 meters and weighs 35 tons. In it Rivera captured the synthesis of the history of Mexico, from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century.
For this reason, in the work you can see different relevant characters for the history of our country such as the viceroy Luis de Velasco, La Malinche, José Martíto name a few
At the center of the mural you can also see Frida Kahlo, who is behind the Rivera boy. The setting for this artistic story is the Alameda Cental, due to its historical relevance and its proximity to the Hotel del Prado.
“The composition [del mural] They are memories of my life, of my childhood and my youth. (…) The characters on the promenade all dream, some sleeping on the benches and others, walking and talking,” Rivera said on occasion.
The work was in the dining room until the 1960s, before being moved to the lobby of the historic hotel.
The earthquakes
It would be in September 1985 when two earthquakes shook Mexico City, causing severe and irreparable damage to the Hotel del Prado. Due to these events the place was demolished at the end of 1986, however the mural was rescued.
That is why ‘Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central’ was placed on the property that was the parking lot of the Hotel Regis. Subsequently, on the work, the construction of the Diego Rivera Mural Museum was carried out, which was inaugurated in 1988.
Today you can visit the museum and appreciate the dreamlike mural by the Mexican artist. Remember that it is located on Calle Balderas S/N, Colonia Centro, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06000, CDMX.