The Conquest of Mexico Through Murals

Introduction for first picture http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=448414

“Tenochtitlan Marketplace” Diego Rivera, 1933

Mountains surround the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs built Tenochtitlan on swampy ground at the center of Lake Texcoco. A snake appears on this Aztec cloth and represents Quetzalcoatl, the god of creation. The headdress this man wears and the staff he holds identify him as a wealthy noble. Turkeys are readied for market and were a key indigenous food found in the Americas. The importance of family is seen here as a mother carries her baby in a rebozo, or large scarf. A laborer, or slave, is identified by his simple loin cloth and head band. Petates, or mats, were woven out of reeds from the nearby lakes and used for indoor and outdoor floor coverings.

“Conquest” Jose Clemente Orozco, 1939

The bearded Spaniard is Hernan Cortes, conqueror of the Aztec empire. Cortes’ heartless nature is symbolized by the empty space in his chest where his heart should be. The fire raging in the background represents the widespread destruction brought by Cortes and the Spanish soldiers. Cortes and the angel above him are made of machinery, symbolizing the new European technology used by Cortes to conquer the Aztecs. Cortes is carrying an iron sword, which he rests on the dismembered bodies of his Aztec victims. The Aztecs had no metal to match the strength of the iron weapons brought by the Europeans, and the cruelty of Cortes and his soldiers are symbolized by this gruesome image. The winged angel above Cortes shows the partnership of the Catholic Church in the conquest of Mexico. It may also be “winged victory” telling Cortes to be kind to his conquered subjects.

“Colonial Domination” Diego Rivera, 1933

Backbreaking labor in the gold mines was forced upon the Indians by the fortune-hungry Spanish. The line of Indians yoked to a a plow shows how the Spaniards treated the indigenous population as beasts of burden. The donkeys in the mural are being treated with more dignity. The Spaniards’ greed is symbolized by the bag of gold held by the Spaniard. Spaniards, dressed in armor and wearing European hats, whip yoked Indians like animals. Rivera painted the Spaniards’ faces to look animal-like and the Indians to appear more human, heroic, and perhaps even angelic. The Spanish conquistadores use a branding iron to brand an Indian, which symbolizes that some Spaniards treated Indians like livestock. The position of submission of Cuauhtemoc, the last emperor of the Aztec empire, to the standing conquistador, or Spanish conquerer, shows the defeat of the Aztecs. The Spanish flag, the Catholic cross, and the sword are three symbols of the conquest that often represent the political, religious, and military power the Spanish used to colonize the area.

“Fight for Liberty” Jose Clemente Orozco, 1939

Father Hidalgo is raising a clenched fist in rebellion against Spanish colonial rule. The color red dominates the mural as death and violence permeated this era of Mexican history. The masses of people portray the large number of followers commanded by Hidalgo and the popularity of the quest for independence among Indians and mestizos. The priest’s collar worn by Hidalgo and the cross painted in the mural emphasize the role of the Church in this rebellion. Hidalgo holds a machete, the symbol of Mexican agriculture, now on fire, as it is used for revolt by the masses.

Enrique Peña Nieto President of Mexico