Abelardo L. Rodríguez Market

[1] However, the market's most distinctive feature is the approximately 1,450 square metres of wall and ceiling space covered in murals.

[1] The works mostly reflect socialist themes, such as the exploitation of workers, peasants and miners, the fight against Nazism and fascism, and racial discrimination.

[4] However, the market's most distinctive feature is the approximately 1,450 square meters of wall and ceiling space covering in murals.

[1][2] Six of the ten painters involved with the project were Mexican, three were American and one was Japanese, working to “bring art to the people”[2] and paid 13.50 pesos (3.75 U.S. dollars approximately) for each square meter painted.

They also reflect the concerns of these artists during this time period, leading to themes such as the exploitation of workers, peasants and miners, the fight against Nazism and fascism, and racial discrimination.

On the upper floor, Noguchi created a wall sculpture combined with painting called La historia de Mexico, in which can be seen fists, swastikas, skeletons and Albert Einstein’s formula E=mc2.

[4] One of the murals in the worst condition was Influencia de las vitaminas by Angel Bracho, with over 50% of the surface area damaged, mostly by humidity.

The rest of the paintings are damaged by scratches, humidity and small cracks due to the same earthquake,[5] with those at arms reach suffering from graffiti and other vandalism.

[1][5] Promises by the authority for the Historic Center of Mexico City in 2008 gave merchants here hope that needed changes would be made and the market would become as prominent as it was when it opened in 1934.

Both the city and the merchants expressed interest in including the market in a tourist corridor to be ready for the Bicentennial celebrations in 2010.

One example is Hugo León, who runs a juice business that he inherited from his father, located under the mural La elaboración del carbón by Ramón Alva Guadarrama.