Colonisation, 'The Great City of Tenochtitlan' 1952

Diego Rivera's mural, Colonisation, 'The Great City of Tenochtitlan,’ in Mexico City is just bursting with narrative, rendered in earth tones that feel both historical and deeply personal. I imagine Rivera, brush in hand, wrestling with the weight of history. How do you paint something as complex as colonization? Do you focus on its brutality, its supposed progress, or the clash of cultures? He seems to have taken it all on, creating a layered composition of bodies, buildings, and landscapes. The figures, rendered in thick paint, are caught in moments of struggle and exchange. Look at the way he captures the conquistadors, their faces hard and determined. But then look at the indigenous people – their expressions a mix of curiosity, resistance, and pain. It reminds me that history isn't just a set of facts. It’s a messy, contradictory, and ultimately human story. Rivera's mural invites us to engage with it, to question it, and maybe even to find new ways of seeing our present through the lens of the past.