Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City

Cars wait in traffic in front of a large marble building. The building has a large golden dome and a heavily carved exterior. Although commissioned in 1904, the Palace of Fine Arts was only completed in 1934. The Palace was constructed in Arte Nouveau style with imported European marble. The marble is so heavy that the building has sunk over fifteen feet since it was constructed. Today the Palace operates as an opera house and theater. Mexico City is the capital of the country of Mexico. It is known as the D.F., or Distrito Federal (Federal District). When Cortes and his Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1521, they built their new city on the foundation of the old. The original city was built on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The lake has since dried up, as the city has grown to be one of the largest in the world. The sprawling city continues to grow and incorporate surrounding areas. These areas may retain much of their rural character for a while, before being fully integrated into the urban city.