Chaos & The Cosmos + La Decena Trágica

Diego Rivera, Creation, (1922)

• One of Rivera's first mural located at the Bolívar Amphitheater at the University of Mexico.
• Rivera's murals can be discussed as an integration of "primary shapes"  with added mathematical proportions. 
• Creation emphasizes the primordial sphere. Females are very monumental emphasizing fertility and the story of Adam & Eve... thus the beginning of times. 

                                     Birth -----> Present

• Rivera's mural includes:
• allegorical images representing culture
• symmetry and balance
• subjects in his murals were usually Rivera's friends.

  

  Photograph of Guadalupe Marin & Frida Kahlo

•  Rivera incorporated people in his life into his murals by adding their face. Everyone could distinguish a Rivera mural because of the people in it. Frida seems to be represented a vast amount of times. She was an important individual in Rivera's life as well as his second wife.



Guadalupe Marin in Rivera's work.

• Dark-skinned individuals emphasized "la gente de Mexico"
• The animals represented in his murals were Mexican such as ox. 

Pancho Villa

• Commander of the Division del Norte (most feared unit in all of Mexico).
• Gained support of the south from 1913-1914 & gained North American support by being neutral in Mexico and not taking sides. 
• America gave him weapons in return
• Villa printed his own currency
• Villa was also a gambler and his revolution strategies demonstrate his gambling actions. He made moves "al azar" meaning that he didn't know what the result might be but he was willing to take the risk. 

Victoriano Huerta



• Huerta was the son of a Mestizo and hated the fact that he was one. This caused him great anger and used his hate for his past as a weapon. He was ashamed of his past.
• He hated the Zapatistas because they reminded him of his past.

La Decena Trágica

• Madero and Pinos Juarez were assasinated. Huerta becomes president as a result. 
• Villa wants to avenge Madero's death and will continue to fight were the revolution left off but with a different strategy...