Painting as an art form has existed in Mexico for more than two thousand years. During the Maya and  Aztec civilisations, architecture and sculpture were very important, but  painting done on ceramics and in codices (old "books"  where the writing was pictures, not letters) show that these societies enjoyed painting also. Colours were used as  symbols. Yellow, the colour of corn, symbolised food, whilst black, the colour of obsidian (a volcanic glass-like rock used to make tools), represented weapons, and red symbolised blood.

Today, Mexico is covered with murals and littered with galleries of contemporary and historic art, which are a highlight of the country for many visitors. Mexican  creativity is also expressed through the country's vibrant folk-art tradition.  Notable examples of pre-Hispanic art include the Olmecs' monumental stone heads,  the early Paradise of Tláloc murals at Teotihuacán and the Mayan murals  at Bonampak in Chiapas.



The art of the colonial period was largely religious and Spanish in tone. The influence of indigenous artisans can be seen in the elaborate altarpieces and  sculpted walls and ceilings that decorate the country's many churches. The arts  were regarded as an important part of the national revival after the revolution. 

Mexico's top artists, such as Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco, were commissioned to decorate important public buildings with  large, vivid murals on social and historical themes. Frida Kahlo, who married  Rivera, painted anguished self-portraits and surreal images that became hugely popular in the 1980s, decades after her death. These days Mexico City and Oaxaca have thriving contemporary arts scenes, with artists like Luis Zárate and  Rodolfo Morales leading the charge.

Mexico is so richly endowed with appealing artesanias (handicrafts) that even the most hardened non hunter of souvenirs might find it hard to get home without at least one pair of earrings or a little model animal. Such a huge and colorful range of arts and crafts can be found, at mostly reasonable prices, that virtually everyone is irresistibly attracted to something, somewhere along the way.