Mexico transformed itself into a great city

1947

Not on view

Zalce’s representation of Mexico City under construction highlights the problems of urban expansion and capitalism. Huge tower blocks overpower older colonial buildings. A skeletal child at left is dying from starvation, and at right diminutive figures representing Indigenous people line up outside the entrance to a building, possibly in search of work or to be compensated for land taken from them. Two men stuff litter into sacks, reflecting the waste generated by the expanding city.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Mexico transformed itself into a great city
Artist: Alfredo Zalce (Mexican, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán 1908–2003 Morelia)
Date: 1947
Medium: Engraving
Dimensions: Sheet: 16 15/16 × 19 7/8 in. (43 × 50.5 cm)
Plate mark: 12 3/16 × 15 9/16 in. (31 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Richard and JoAnn Edinburg Pinkowitz, 2024
Object Number: 2024.69.87
Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Fisherman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946), Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph — The Fisherman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946)
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The seated woman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946), Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph — The seated woman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946)
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A woman and child in a hammock, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946), Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph — A woman and child in a hammock, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946)
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