Palacio De Bellas Artes In Mexico City. Editorial Photo

The Palace of Fine Arts of Mexico (Spanish: Palacio de Bellas Artes) is Mexico's first opera house. It was designed by Italian architect Adamo Boari in 1901 to replace the old Gran Teatro Nacional which was destroyed on that date, but its construction was not completed until 1934. It comprises a spectacular art deco interior and a stately art nouveau exterior. The weight of the building is so great that it sinks little by little on its foundations. The site was chosen by President Porfirio Díaz in the historic center of Mexico City, next to an elegant park, the Alameda Central. The building is famous for its extravagant Art Nouveau exterior, in white marble imported from Italy, and its paintings by Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco.