| Mexico City's Central Square: The Zocalo |
 |
| Welcome to Mexico's capital. Mexico City's huge central square, the Zocalo, is constructed over what used to be the Aztec Empire's capital, prior to the Spanish conquest. Above is the Cathedral, and it is sinking. The Aztecs built upon former marshland, and now the Cathedral's interior is a mass of scaffolding as part of a rescue attempt. Aslo in the Zocalo, archaeologists have uncovered the foundation of the main Aztec Temple, destroyed by the Spanish. |
 |
| This Spanish style courtyard helps form the interior of Mexico's National Palace, a featured building in the Zocalo. |
 |
| Diego Rivera, Mexico's greatest muralist, decorated the National Palace with a series of gigantic murals that cover the entire history of Mexico, with one event flowing into another. This is a section that includes the Spanish defeating the Aztec Empire and then turning the Indians into slaves who worked the mines. Rivera's art was political, always on the side of the oppressed. Uncle Sam comes off very poorly in Rivera's version of what we Americans call the Mexican War. |
 |
| In this mural Rivera presents an idealized version of Mexico City under benevolent rule of the Aztec Empire, a clear contrast to the Spanish. At the mural's top left is the main Aztec temple, where Rivera makes a small concession to the Aztec's widespread practice of human sacrifice by showing blood on the temple stairs. |
| If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free streaming video of this trip to Central America and Mexico, "Mayavision", by clicking on AdventurePics.com . |
 |
 |
 |