It was commissioned by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the leading personage behind the inception of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Rivera created the work while on the ship SS Moro en route from Mexico to New York City.
The picture portrays "Las Velas", a festival held in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a fete in honor of local patron saints and of the abundance of spring.
[2] In 2021 the aforementioned sales mark was shattered when Diego and I (1949) by Rivera's wife, the surrealist painter, Frida Kahlo, was sold at Sotheby's in New York City for $34.9 million US.
[3][4][5] It was later revealed that The Rivals had been bought by the tech billionaire Paul Allen in the last year of his life and it was subsequently sold for $14.1 million US (with fees) at the auction of his art collection in November 2022 at Christie's in New York City.