Palacio de Cortés (Museo Regional Cuauhnáhuac)

Palacio de Cortés stands on the north side of Cuernavaca's Zócalo, built in the 1520s on the foundations of a Tlahuica pyramid using stone quarried from the earlier structure. Visitors first pass an excavated section of the original pyramid base, visible through glass at ground level, before touring galleries that trace the region's history from pre-Hispanic Tlahuica settlement through the Spanish conquest, the colonial hacienda economy, and the Mexican Revolution. The building's signature feature is the second-floor corridor mural painted by Diego Rivera in 1930, a gift from U.S. ambassador Dwight Morrow, depicting the conquest of Cuernavaca, the sugar-hacienda system, and Emiliano Zapata leading the Zapatista movement in bold, narrative panels that run the length of the terrace. The museum's collection includes pre-Hispanic ceramics and stone carvings, colonial-era religious art, and documents and photographs from the Revolution, arranged across rooms opening onto the palace's arcaded courtyard. A visit typically takes one to one and a half hours, enough time to view the Rivera mural closely, walk the ground-floor pyramid remains, and pass through the historical galleries; the terrace corridor also offers one of the better street-level views over the Zócalo and Jardín Juárez. Weekday mornings are quietest, since the museum sits directly on the plaza and draws steady foot traffic from both tourists and school groups throughout the day, particularly on weekends. Photography of the mural and galleries is generally permitted without flash, and the courtyard's shaded arcades make it a comfortable stop even at midday, unlike Cuernavaca's more exposed outdoor sites.