Respect to: Diego Rivera for Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central

Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central or Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central is a mural created by Diego Rivera. It was painted between the years 1946 and 1947, and is the principal work of the "Museo Mural Diego Rivera" adjacent to the Alameda in the historic center of Mexico City.

The mural was originally created at the request of architect Carlos Obregón Santacilia, and originally was displayed in the Versailles restaurant at the hotel Prado. When the hotel was destroyed in the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake, the mural was restored and moved to its own museum

Rivera's mural measures 15 meters long and it stood at the end of Alameda Park. The mural survived the 1985 earthquake, which destroyed the hotel, and was later moved across the street to the Museo Mural Diego Rivera, built after the earthquake for that purpose.⁴

The mural depicts famous people and events in the history of Mexico, passing through the Alameda Central park in Mexico City. Behind them float the things they each dream of. Some notable figures include Francisco I. Madero, Benito Juárez, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Porfirio Díaz, Agustín de Iturbide, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Maximilian I of Mexico, Juan de Zumárraga, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Winfield Scott, Victoriano Huerta, and Hernán Cortés. Rivera's wife Frida Kahlo is at the center of the mural, holding hands with a child version of Rivera and the skeleton La Calavera Catrina

Rivera took inspiration from the original etching and gave Calavera a body as well as more of an identity in her elegant outfit as she is poised between himself and Posada. The intent seemed to be to show the tradition of welcoming and comfort the Mexicans have with death and especially the identity of a lady of death, harking back to the heritage of the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl. As explained by curator David de la Torre from the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Catrina has come to symbolize not only El Día de los Muertos and the Mexican willingness to laugh at death itself, but originally Catrina was an elegant or well-dressed woman, so it refers to rich people⁴, de la Torre said. "Death brings this neutralizing force; everyone is equal in the end. Sometimes people have to be reminded

The culture of La Calavera Catrina's has ties to political satire and is also a well-kept tradition as the original was inspired by the polarizing reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz, whose accomplishments in modernizing and bringing financial stability to Mexico pale against his government's repression, corruption, extravagance and obsession with all things European. Concentration of fantastic wealth in the hands of the privileged few brewed discontent in the hearts of the suffering many, leading to the 1910 rebellion that toppled Diaz in 1911 and became the Mexican Revolution.

She also symbolizes the contrasts between the upper and lower classes for times were cruel. The social classes were extremely segmented and the highest class was the most fortunate and enjoyed many privileges; to the contrary, the lower classes were nearly invisible. To explain and rescue the folklore of worshiping the dead, while showing this off to high society, José Guadalupe Posada made caricatures of Death, one of these drawings being the famous calavera with an elegant hat, though only representing the head and bust with a sophisticated and skeletal essence.

La Calavera Catrina’s today can be found in their more traditional form both in drawn works as well as sculptures made out of Oaxacan wood carvings, paper mache sculptures, majolica pottery and black clay. She is also coupled with male skeletons.

From taking from the political nature of the original pieces, works such as Sun Mad by Ester Hernández. Los Lobos album cover La Pistola y el Corazon, depicting an inspired Catrina in a couples embrace.

(source:wiki)