Anahuacalli

Deep in the heart of Mexico City, nestled within the volcanic rock of El Pedregal, lies the Anahuacalli. The Anahuacalli isn’t just a museum; it’s a testament to Diego Rivera’s profound passion for Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past. Imagine standing before a structure, part pyramid, part fortress, built of the very lava that flowed from the Xitle volcano millennia ago. This is the Anahuacalli, meaning “house surrounded by water” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Rivera envisioned the Anahuacalli as a repository for his massive collection of pre-Hispanic art, a collection numbering nearly 60,000 pieces at the time of his death. He worried about ancient artifacts leaving Mexico and dedicated himself to preserving them for the Mexican people. Rivera designed the museum himself, a lesser-known facet of this renowned muralist. The building’s design is infused with symbolism, reflecting the artist’s interpretation of ancient Mesoamerican cosmology. The ground floor, cool and dark, represents the underworld. Ascend to the second floor, and you enter the terrestrial plane, filled with figures engaged in daily life. Finally, the third floor evokes the heavens, and from its terrace, you can survey the sprawling cityscape and the surrounding volcanic landscape. Rivera intended the Anahuacalli to be a vibrant City of Arts. He pictured a community center where architecture, music, theater, dance, and crafts could flourish. A large plaza in front of the building was designed to host concerts and performances. Inside, a vast, light-filled space was meant to be Rivera’s studio. Now, it displays the plans for his ill-fated mural, “Man at the Crossroads,” originally intended for Rockefeller Center but destroyed due to a political dispute. Rivera died in 1957 before the Anahuacalli was completed. His friend, architect Juan O’Gorman, and Rivera’s daughter, Ruth, oversaw its completion in 1964, transforming it into the museum we see today. Inside the Anahuacalli, approximately 2,000 of Rivera’s pre-Hispanic artifacts are on display. Arranged not by historical period but by aesthetic significance, as Rivera intended, they offer a glimpse into the artistic traditions of ancient Mexico. The Anahuacalli also holds a treasure trove of Rivera’s own work: sketches for his murals, including those for “Man at the Crossroads,” offering insight into the artist’s creative process. Today, the Anahuacalli continues to be a vibrant center for art and culture. It hosts exhibitions, workshops, and performances. And within its walls, the legacy of Diego Rivera, the artist, collector, and architect, lives on.