Two weekends ago (yes, I am behind on my blogging) Alejandro and I went to the "Palacio de Bellas Artes" (Palace of Fine Arts) to see a performance of the famous "Ballet Folklórico".
The Palace of Fine Arts, in addition to being an art museum displaying works by Mexico's most famous muralists, houses the most beautiful theater in Mexico City.
In 1901 plans were made to build an opulent opera house for the 1910 Centennial of Mexico's Independence. An Italian architect, Adamo Boari, was awarded the contract, and the first stone was laid in 1904. Boari's plans called for the theater to be built of Italian Carrara marble in art nouveau style. However, the building was not completed in time for the centennial celebration. The architect ran into unexpected problems when the heavy building began to sink into the soft spongy soil of Mexico City. It sank a total of 13 feet into the ground. Work was further complicated by the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. All work on the structure stopped in 1913 and did not resume until nearly twenty years later.
In 1932 construction resumed under the Mexican architect Federico Mariscal. The theatre was inaugurated on November 29th, 1934. In the intervening years, art nouveau had gone out of style and art deco was in vogue. Mariscal scrapped Boari's plans and designed an art deco interior.
The interior of the theater is equally splendid. This stained glass work decorates the ceiling of the theater.
However the most impressive and most unique feature of the interior is the stage curtain which is made of foldable glass panels. It was designed by Tiffany's of New York. It contains nearly one million pieces of colored glass, and it weighs 24 tons. The picture on the curtain portrays the volcanoes Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl. It was based on a design by the Mexican artist Gerardo Murillo, better known by his pseudonym of "Dr. Atl". Murillo is best known for his paintings of volcanoes.
Before the performance begins, colored lights are projected on the curtain to simulate the course of a day.
The curtain rises, and it is time for the performance to begin...
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