Bellas Artes opens for Mexico's farewell to Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas

Citizens queue outside the Mexico City palace as a police-escorted hearse arrives ahead of the official tribute.

Channel: MILENIO ·

MexicoStory of October 31, 2026Trari Newsroom

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MILENIO: The Mexican news channel and newspaper of Grupo Multimedios. 8.3M subscribers and 7.7B views.

Bellas Artes recibe homenaje de cuerpo presente a Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00A police escort accompanies the hearse carrying Cárdenas's remains toward central Mexico City.
1:05The presenter says the family decided against immediate cremation after agreeing to the public tribute.
2:49Israel Navarro describes waiting citizens and security arrangements outside Bellas Artes.
3:22Sheinbaum and Brugada are expected to lead the official ceremony at 4 p.m.
9:25Interior footage shows the red carpet, white flowers and seating prepared in the palace vestibule.
12:14Armando Martínez describes the portrait, floral wreaths and reserved seats as preparations continue.

White flowers line the stairs, a red carpet crosses the vestibule, and mourners wait outside the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The arrival of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas's hearse brings the public farewell to one of Mexico's leading left-wing political figures into the heart of the capital.

Mexico's MILENIO follows the procession and preparations in "Bellas Artes recibe homenaje de cuerpo presente a Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas", meaning a tribute to Cárdenas as he lies in state at Bellas Artes. The recording captures the hours before the official ceremony, rather than the ceremony itself.

Outside, reporter Israel Navarro describes citizens waiting to enter and barriers intended chiefly to keep the press separate from invited guests. The hearse maneuvers toward a side entrance through the crowd. President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexico City head of government Clara Brugada are expected to lead the formal tribute at 4 p.m., he reports.

Inside, the camera shows a portrait of Cárdenas, two floral wreaths and rows of reserved seats for relatives and the official delegation. Reporter Armando Martínez describes the completed arrangements while musical rehearsals and sound checks can be heard. The presentation is restrained, with the studio host describing its simplicity as consistent with Cárdenas's personality.

The broadcaster says the family had decided against immediate cremation after agreeing with the federal government to hold the tribute. Cárdenas, a civil engineer and son of former president Lázaro Cárdenas, became a central figure in Mexico's democratic opening, particularly through his presidential campaign in 1988.

In a subsequent report, the broadcaster says Sheinbaum proposed placing his remains in the Rotunda of Illustrious Persons. According to that account, the family accepted the proposal, but it still requires review by a committee. It is a proposed further honor, not a completed transfer.

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