Mexico City is such a huge, vibrant and creative metropolis that you could visit 500 times and always find something new on each visit. That’s one reason why I have a personal rule for all of my visits to Mexico City: I always do something I’ve never done before, whether it’s visiting an attraction I’ve never seen, eating something completely different or having an experience I’ve never had before. Mexico’s vibrant capital is a city where it’s impossible to be bored. (You may have already heard that Mexico City has more museums than anyplace on earth, except perhaps London.)
On my most recent Mexico City vacation, I happened upon the Museo Nacional de la Estampa (National Museum of Graphic Arts), a museum set in a beautiful 19th-century neoclassical building in the historic city center. The museum’s largest temporary exhibit right now pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the death of famed Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. As the leader of a peasant revolution in the state of Morelos, Zapata grew to become the commander of the Liberation Army of the South, and was assassinated at age 39 in the town of Chinameca.
Today, Zapata’s image is for many a symbol of land reform and agrarian rights as well as poor people’s rights. The exhibit, which is on display through November 3, 2019, is a fascinatingly creative collection of graphic work by various artists. Traditional, contemporary and decidedly offbeat interpretations of his legacy are all on display in the dozens of works on two floors. This isn’t how you’re used to viewing Zapata. The work also seeks to bring his legacy into the 21st Century and apply it to modern-day issues.
“The Zapata revolution defended justice and democracy for peasants and indigenous people,” says the museum’s exhibit statement. “This continuity has permitted us to be conscious of the need for inclusion.”
“In this room we can observe works that allude to one of the most current and inconclusive struggles that exists: the struggle for gender equality,” the statement continues. “Here, the questioning and demystification of the leader is put into play, of a model in which the masculine opposes the feminine, as well as the visibility of the characters with diverse identities who participated in the Mexican revolution. The works here aim to claim a place for women and the LGBTQ community, who were made invisible in history. These artistic expressions lead us to conclude that any struggle must be democratic and inclusive.”
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am until 6pm, and admission is free. It’s located across from the Alameda Central park on Plaza de Santa Veracruz, a picturesque little square that’s also bounded by the larger and better known Franz Mayer museum, which is a perfect complement for a museum-focused day in Mexico City’s historic downtown.
If you’re looking for interesting things to do in Mexico City and you love museums, art and Mexican culture, the Museo Nacional de la Estampa could be a worthwhile addition to your Mexico vacation itinerary.