ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of Diego Rivera’s most fascinating and neglected murals within the context of public health in Mexico. Recurrent in these murals are the themes of fertility, regeneration, health, and hygiene, as well as medical research and practice. Rivera synthesized years of public health awareness, hours of research dedicated to studies of anatomy and medicine, and his genuine and unwavering interest in the universality of health and healthcare for future generations. The Rockefeller Foundation’s support for these programs helped legitimize Mexico’s revolutionary ideals and offered a public health model for other countries, especially in Latin America. For Rivera and the program of public health in revolutionary Mexico, healthy children signified a healthy nation. As in many of Rivera’s murals, the worker is the conduit of energy and the vital instrument in the advancement of knowledge and scientific investigation.
