Things to Do at Palacio de Bellas Artes

The building is sinking. Just like everything in Mexico City built on the old lakebed, the Palacio de Bellas Artes has dropped over four meters since construction began in 1904. You can see it in the tilted entrance steps, and you can feel it in the slightly off-kilter floors inside. None of this diminishes the fact that standing in the main hall, looking up at the Tiffany glass curtain depicting the Valley of Mexico with Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes rendered in nearly a million pieces of opalescent glass, is one of the most beautiful moments in Latin American architecture. Admission to the museum exhibitions is MXN 85 (free on Sundays for Mexican residents). The building itself - Art Nouveau outside, Art Deco inside - is worth the entrance fee alone. But you're here for the murals. Diego Rivera's 'Man at the Crossroads' takes up an entire wall, a recreation of the mural Rockefeller Center destroyed because Rivera refused to remove Lenin's face. Orozco's 'Katharsis' depicts industrial-age chaos. Siqueiros' contribution is equally massive. These three men essentially invented Mexican muralism in these rooms. What most people miss: the fourth-floor terrace with views over Alameda Central park and the rooftops of Centro Historico. Best time is Tuesday through Friday, 10:00-11:00 AM before school groups arrive. Allow two hours for the murals and exhibitions, more if there's a special show in the concert hall. Only a local would know: the Tiffany glass curtain is only displayed during performances (the ballet folklorico on Wednesday and Sunday is the easiest ticket, from MXN 300). Ask at the box office about availability. Worth it? Absolutely essential - the murals alone justify a trip to Mexico City.

Metro Bellas Artes (Lines 2 and 8) exits directly across the street - the easiest landmark to reach in the city. From anywhere on the metro network, get to Line 2 (blue). Metrobus Line 4 stops at the Eje Central, one block east. Walking from the Zocalo takes about 10 minutes west along Madero pedestrian street. An Uber from Roma/Condesa costs MXN 30-50.