shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMexico

on the east side of the Zócalo, in old Mexico City

National Palace

Name: National Palace — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— the red stone that has watched five centuries of crowds.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“The east wall of the Zócalo, two blocks long, tezontle red above grey stone. Behind the doors sit the offices of the Mexican executive, the National Archives, and the courtyard staircase Diego Rivera covered with the long history of the country. The ground itself is the site of Moctezuma's palace, then Cortés's, then a viceregal palace, then the building you see now. The bell of Dolores hangs above the central balcony. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

National Palace, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about National Palace

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Palacio Nacional occupies the entire east side of the Plaza de la Constitución, the great square known as the Zócalo, in the Centro Histórico of Mexico City. The site holds layered occupation: Moctezuma II's palace stood here before 1521, Hernán Cortés built over the ruins, and the present three-storey building in red tezontle volcanic stone took its current form across the seventeenth, eighteenth, and twentieth centuries. The Centro Histórico has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

— informed by Wikipedia, UNESCO — Historic Centre of Mexico City

— the stone

The façade's deep red comes from tezontle, a porous volcanic stone quarried in the Valley of Mexico and used in the city's colonial architecture for its light weight and earthquake performance. The grand central stairway inside the courtyard carries Diego Rivera's mural cycle The Epic of the Mexican People, painted between 1929 and 1951, with the corridor panels on indigenous civilisations completed in the early 1940s. Above the central balcony hangs the bell of Dolores, rung by the President each 15 September on the eve of Independence Day.

— informed by Wikipedia — Diego Rivera murals, Britannica — Grito de Dolores

— where

Mexico · Centro Histórico, Mexico City

— elevation

2,240 m · 7,349 ft

— position

19.4326° N · 99.1318° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

0.2 km N

Metropolitan Cathedral

cathedral

0.3 km NE

Templo Mayor

Aztec ruins

1.5 km W

Palacio de Bellas Artes

cultural palace

National Palace

Metropolitan Cathedral

Templo Mayor

Palacio de Bellas Artes

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about National Palace — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The seat of the federal executive of Mexico, occupying the east side of the Zócalo in Mexico City. It also holds the National Archives and the Diego Rivera mural cycle on the central courtyard staircase.

Yes. The Rivera murals and several historic courtyards are open without charge, with photo ID required at the entrance on Calle de Moneda. Hours and access can change for state events.

Diego Rivera, between 1929 and 1951. The staircase work is titled The Epic of the Mexican People, and adjoining corridor panels depict pre-conquest indigenous civilisations of the Valley of Mexico.

The façade is tezontle, a red volcanic stone quarried in the Valley of Mexico and prized in colonial architecture for being light and resilient under earthquake. Interior walls combine stone and stucco over older foundations.

The palace of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II stood here until 1521. Hernán Cortés built his residence over the ruins, and a viceregal palace followed in the colonial period before the present configuration.

The bell of Dolores, brought from the parish at Dolores Hidalgo. The President rings it on the night of 15 September each year to lead the Grito ceremony marking Independence Day.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for that. The Palacio Nacional is the back wall of the Zócalo, and chilangos read it as the spine of the old centre. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio lands without souvenir energy.

The tezontle reds and stone greys sit well in Mexican Modern, Warm Maximalist, and Spanish Colonial rooms with leather and dark wood. It is less at home in cool Nordic or pale coastal schemes.

Yes. Talavera, equipal, and warm-red palettes are visible across current design coverage, and a named civic landmark anchors a wall better than generic folk-art prints. A Medium above a console works.

Above a standard sofa, the single Large or a 4-tile Mural. Above a console, a Medium centred. For an entryway or stair wall the 9-tile Mural carries the long façade.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist steam and splash and clean without streaking. The Glossy finish is best on a drier display wall.

A microfibre cloth and warm water. No bleach, ammonia, or abrasive cleaners. The colour lives in the surface and will not rub off, though harsh chemicals dull the finish.

Yes. Reid Wender paints every WenderVista piece in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink language. Single studio, no licensed art in or out.

— if this one stayed with you