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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Research and gather information about the Mexican Revolution, including prominent revolutionary figures and artists. 
• Analyze the style and recurring themes of Mexican artists. 
• Create artwork using contemporary events and the style of one of the artists studied.
• Describe connections between how the artists were influenced by Mexico’s history, political figures, and influence on original artwork. 

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Websites

Teacher Background

Review the . Note: This lesson can be adapted for the Spanish language classroom. 

Student Prerequisites 

Basic knowledge of the and key vocabulary: communism, fresco, Marxism, mural, satire, surrealism, symbolism.

Accessibility Notes 

Modify handouts, text, and utilize assistive technologies as needed. Provide preferential seating for visual presentations and allow extra time for task completion.

Engage 

1. Show students the . Explain that these works of art were inspired by the Revolution.

2. Have students discuss their observations. Are there any common themes among these images? What emotions do they evoke? What messages do you think the artists were trying to convey?

Build

1. Explain the history of the Mexican Revolution, . 

2. Have students collaborate to research leaders of the Mexican Revolution using the handout. Assign small groups to one of the following leaders: Porfirio Díaz, Francisco Madero, Victoriano Huerta, Venustiano Carranza, Pancho Villa, or Emiliano Zapata.

3. Have groups present their research to the class. Groups should present in the order of the above list. Students should fill in information about each political figure in the .

4. Create a class timeline of the Mexican Revolution. Use craft paper or create the to sequence events. Each group should add images and a short biography of the figure they research.

Apply

1. Review the . State each artist’s name and title of the piece. Encourage students to reevaluate the images in light of the knowledge they have about the Revolution. Assign one artist per group. Groups should research the artist and create a piece of artwork in the style of that artist.

2. Students should choose one of the following artists and styles to create: 
   Printmaker & Illustrator: José Guadalupe Posada
   Murals: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, or David Alfaro Siqueiros
   Painting: Frida Kahlo
   Self Portrait: Incorporate a contemporary event

3. Have student groups research artists using the . Groups will use the research to plan their artwork. 

4. Create a mural, painting or illustration. Group work will incorporate the style, techniques, and/or themes of one of the artists. The artwork should represent a contemporary news event from , , or . 

Reflect

1. Presentation of murals. Groups should discuss the artist’s connection to Mexico’s history, other relevant background/biographical information, the artist’s style (using printed or projected images as examples), and how they incorporated that style into their artwork. Encourage the audience to ask questions about the murals. 

2. Assess students’ knowledge of artists of the Mexican Revolution by responding to the essay writing prompt: Describe the life of the artist you research and their connections to Mexican history. Explain how your artwork incorporated the style of the artist through a contemporary news event.