Mercado de Tehuantepec [Tehuantepec Market]

“Mercado de Tehuantepec” reflects Diego Rivera’s lifelong project to create a modern Mexican aesthetic. When developing a post-revolutionary national iconography during the 1920’s, Rivera often drew on the country’s traditional heritage. Here, he depicts the market at Tehuantepec, a Oaxacan city known for its indigenous culture, rich traditions, and famous rebellion against Spanish authorities in the colonial period. Prominent cultural officials like José Vasconcelos promoted Tehuantepec as a site of “mexicanidad,” or Mexican identity, which inspired Rivera’s many depictions of the city in his murals and prints.