Rivera returned to Mexico in 1921 and entered the vibrant post-revolutionary art scene. In 1922, he married María Guadalupe "Lupe" Marín, an outspoken model, novelist, and intellectual from Jalisco. Their union produced the only two children Rivera would ever raise in a conventional domestic household: Guadalupe Rivera Marín, born in 1924, and Ruth Rivera Marín, born in 1927.
| Child | Mother | Lifespan | Primary Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Rivera Beloff | Angelina Beloff | 1916, 1917 | Firstborn son; died of influenza in Paris |
| Marika Rivera | Marie Vorobieff Marevna | 1919, 2010 | British-based actress, dancer, and visual performer |
| Guadalupe Rivera Marín | Guadalupe "Lupe" Marín | 1924, 2023 | Mexican federal senator, lawyer, author, and foundation director |
| Ruth Rivera Marín | Guadalupe "Lupe" Marín | 1927, 1969 | First female graduate of ESIA; chief architect at INBA |
Both daughters carved out influential paths in modern Mexico. Guadalupe earned a doctorate in law, served as a federal deputy, held a seat in the Mexican Senate, and served as the longtime director of the Diego Rivera Foundation until her death in January 2023 at age 98. Her younger sister, Ruth, broke gender barriers by becoming the first woman to graduate with an architecture degree from the National Polytechnic Institute's School of Engineering and Architecture (ESIA). Ruth later served as director of architecture at the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) and worked closely with architect Juan O’Gorman to complete Rivera’s volcanic-stone museum, the Museo Anahuacalli, following Diego’s death.
