Diego Rivera sitting to the left of José Vasconcelos at a festival

Diego Rivera, who had recently returned from Europe, was commissioned by the then Minister of Public Education, José Vasconcelos, to paint the walls of public buildings. Rivera worked on the mural "La Creación" (The Creation) in the Simón Bolívar auditorium at the former Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (National Preparatory School) between 1922 and 1923. It was while working on this mural that he met Frida Kahlo.