Palacio de Bellas Artes

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural building in Mexico — an Art Nouveau and Art Deco masterpiece of white Carrara marble that took 30 years to build (1904-1934), sank over a metre into the soft lake bed during construction, and houses some of the most significant murals in the Western Hemisphere. The exterior, designed by Italian architect Adamo Boari, is a confection of European Art Nouveau — sinuous ironwork, sculptural groups, stained glass domes. The interior, completed after the Mexican Revolution by Federico Mariscal, is pure Art Deco — geometric lines, coloured marble, and the famous Tiffany glass curtain depicting the Valley of Mexico's volcanoes.

The murals are the building's greatest treasures. Diego Rivera's 'Man at the Crossroads' — the mural that was commissioned and then destroyed by the Rockefellers at 30 Rockefeller Center because it included Lenin's portrait — was recreated here by Rivera, slightly larger and with more Lenin. David Alfaro Siqueiros and Rufino Tamayo also have major works on the upper floors, and the collection represents the peak of the Mexican muralist movement that made art a vehicle for political education.

The theatre inside Bellas Artes hosts the Ballet Folklórico de México, a spectacular folk dance company that performs traditional dances from Mexico's diverse regions in costumes so elaborate they belong in a museum. The performance, held on Sundays and Wednesdays, is one of the essential Mexico City experiences — the dancers, the music, the costumes, and the Art Deco theatre together create an evening that is pure Mexico.