Leo Martínez
The Conquest of Mexico paintings are a series of eight detailed canvases from the seventeenth century that depict the 1521 Spanish conquest of the native Aztec people. The series includes paintings of battles between the Spanish and the Aztecs, ceremonial encounters of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés with the Aztec emperor Moctezuma, and other pivotal historical moments. The series ends with the dramatic Conquest of Tenochtitlán and the capture of the last Aztec king. Another painting, Tenochtitlan Marketplace by Diego Rivera, is famous for its larger-than-life murals and encyclopedic presentation of the multiple products, services, activities, and personages to be seen at the great Aztec marketplace.
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What You'll Learn
Diego Rivera's 'Tenochtitlan Marketplace'
Diego Rivera's Tenochtitlan Marketplace, also known as The Tlatelolco Market, is a magnificent work of art that brings to life the ancient Mexica people and their vibrant markets. Rivera's masterpiece is located in Mexico City, the same place where the impressive Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan once stood.
Tenochtitlan, the powerful political, economic, and religious centre of the Aztec Empire, was a city of immense wealth and beauty. With its towering pyramids, dazzling palaces, and bustling markets, it left both native visitors and conquering Spaniards awestruck. The city, situated on an island in Lake Texcoco, was home to around 200,000 people at its peak in 1521, making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time.
The Tlatelolco Market, painted by Rivera, captures the lively atmosphere of the ancient Mexica marketplace. The artist pays attention to detail, depicting various merchants and their diverse merchandise. One striking detail is a man offering a woman a human arm, still dripping with blood, as a form of courtship, which was reportedly a common practice in the 16th century. Rivera's work brings to life the ancient texts describing the magnitude of trade in the pre-Hispanic world.
The painting illustrates various agricultural and industrial activities, including sowing, growing maize, extracting maguey juice, paper manufacture, cotton production, spinning, and back-strap weaving. These activities, taking place in different towns, contributed to the thriving marketplace. The middle panel of the painting depicts the payment of tribute, showcasing how some towns contributed to the prosperity of small kingdoms.
Rivera's work extends beyond the canvas, with his life and ancestry influencing his art. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1886, Rivera had a diverse heritage, including Mexican, Spanish, Indian, African, Jewish, and Russian roots. Notably, Rivera identified with his Jewish ancestry, believing it gave him "sympathy with the downtrodden masses". This empathy may have influenced his artistic choices, such as his decision to immortalize the vibrant marketplace of Tenochtitlan, showcasing the daily lives and activities of the ancient Mexica people.
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The 'Conquest of Mexico' series
The Conquest of Mexico series is a collection of eight detailed canvases painted in the seventeenth century that depict the 1521 Spanish conquest of the native Aztec people. The series is significant both artistically and historically, offering a glimpse into the past through the portrayal of pivotal historical moments. Here is a closer look at some of the paintings within the series:
The First Encounter:
The series likely begins with the first encounter between Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, and Moctezuma, the leader of the Aztec empire. This meeting took place outside the city on the shores of Lake Texcoco. Moctezuma, who was taken hostage by Cortés, later appeared in public on the upper level of the palace to ease tensions with his people.
The Battle of Tabasco:
Cortés's first major conflict with indigenous Mexicans occurred as he and his troops, in full armour and on horseback, battled the inhabitants of Tabasco on their way to the city. This painting captures the fury and intensity of the clash.
The Siege of Tenochtitlán:
Cortés leads his Spanish armies on horseback, laying siege to Tenochtitlán. He orders the destruction of the city, which was the capital of the Aztec civilization and is now known as Mexico City. The painting portrays the dramatic fall of Tenochtitlán and the capture of the last Aztec king.
Ceremonial Encounters:
The series includes ceremonial encounters between the Spanish conquistador Cortés and the Aztec emperor Moctezuma. These paintings showcase the cultural and diplomatic aspects of the conquest, highlighting the complexities of the historical events.
The Conquest of Mexico series provides a visual narrative of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, capturing the battles, encounters, and pivotal moments that shaped the course of history in Mexico. These paintings not only document the events but also reveal how people in the seventeenth century interpreted and portrayed the Spanish conquest, offering valuable insights into the artistic and historical perspectives of that era.
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Moctezuma II's Tenochtitlan
Moctezuma II, also known as Montezuma, was the ninth emperor of the Aztec Empire, which was also known as the Mexica Empire. He was born in either 1466 or 1467 and ruled from 1502 until his death in 1520. During his reign, the Aztec Empire reached its greatest size, encompassing approximately 200,000 square miles and over twenty million people.
Moctezuma II was a complex figure, a warrior and a high priest dedicated to the war god Huitzilopochtli. He was known for his grave demeanor and noble lineage. His leadership faced unprecedented challenges with the arrival of Hernán Cortés in 1519, whom Moctezuma initially perceived as a returning deity, Quetzalcóatl, based on a series of omens. This miscalculation led to his capture by the Spaniards and the subsequent collapse of the Aztec Empire.
Moctezuma II's reign began with difficulties. In 1505, a major drought caused widespread crop failure and starvation in central Mexico. To aid the population, Moctezuma and the lords of Texcoco and Tlacopan used all available food supplies and raised tributes for one year. The drought and famine lasted three years, and some noblemen reportedly sold their children as slaves in exchange for food to avoid starvation.
Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec Empire. In less than 200 years, it evolved from a small settlement on an island in the western swamps of Lake Texcoco into a powerful political, economic, and religious centre. It was a city of great wealth, obtained through the spoils of tribute from conquered regions. Of astounding beauty and impressive scale, its towering pyramids were painted in bright red and blue, and its palaces in dazzling white. At the heart of Tenochtitlan was the Sacred Precinct, the religious and ceremonial centre of the city and the empire. Its network of streets and canals teemed with canoes that transported people and goods within the city and to towns on the shore.
The fall of Tenochtitlan to the Spaniards in 1521 marked the end of the Aztec Empire. The city was razed, and the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain was built on its ruins. The Conquest of Mexico paintings from the seventeenth century depict the Spanish conquest of the Aztec people, highlighting battles, ceremonial encounters between Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma II, and other pivotal historic moments.
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The 'Conquest of Tenochtitlán' painting
The Conquest of Tenochtitlán is the dramatic final painting in the eight-canvas series, Conquest of Mexico, which depicts the 1521 Spanish conquest of the native Aztec people. The series, painted in the seventeenth century, follows the traditional formula for Spanish battle paintings of that time, with large figures, often on horseback, highlighted in the foreground, and the conflict occurring in the middle and backgrounds.
The painting shows the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés leading his armies on horseback and laying siege to Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec civilisation and one of the largest cities in the world at the time. The city was a powerful political, economic, and religious centre, with towering pyramids and palaces. The painting depicts the moment when Cortés ordered the complete destruction of the city, with the eleventh and last king of the Aztec empire, Cuauhtémoc, fleeing in a canoe.
The series of paintings highlights pivotal moments in the conflict between the Spanish and the Aztecs, including ceremonial encounters between Hernán Cortés and the Aztec emperor Moctezuma. Moctezuma, who was taken hostage by Cortés, appears in public in one painting in an attempt to ease the hostility of his people. Another painting shows Cortés and his men encountering Cuitláhuac, the new Mexica leader of the Aztec empire and the brother of Moctezuma, who attacks the invaders.
The Conquest of Tenochtitlán painting is a remarkable record of the events of 1521 and the way in which people in the late seventeenth century regarded the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The series is significant both artistically and historically and is part of the Jay I. Kislak Collection in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.
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Thomas Kole's 3D rendering of Tenochtitlán
Thomas Kole, a digital artist from Amersfoort, Netherlands, has created a lifelike 3D rendering of Tenochtitlán, the former capital of the Aztec Empire, which is now Mexico City. Kole's reconstruction is so detailed that it looks like a living metropolis. He used open-source software like Blender, Gimp, and Darktable, along with historical and archaeological sources, to bring Tenochtitlán back to life.
Kole's 3D images of Tenochtitlán showcase various aspects of the city. One image depicts the lake basin during a rainstorm, while another shows the levees constructed during the reign of Nezahualcóyotl, a 15th-century ruler of the nearby Aztec metropolis of Texcoco. Kole's illustrations also include the chinampas, or floating beds, where flowers and produce were grown, as well as smaller settlements like Tlacopan and Azcapotzalco.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Kole's work is his depiction of the New Fire ceremony, a ritual that took place once every 52 years. During this ceremony, the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán discarded the images of their gods, domestic utensils, and extinguished all fires in their homes and temples. In complete darkness, priests would travel to the Hill of the Star (Cerro de la Estrella) to perform a ritual to light a new fire. Kole's 3D rendering beautifully captures the moment of this ritual, surrounded by uncertainty and fear, as the failure to light the new fire was believed to bring about the end of the world.
Kole's 3D rendering of Tenochtitlán has provided a glimpse into the legendary, vanished metropolis. By comparing drone photographs of modern-day Mexico City with his illustrations, it is evident that the temples and canals of the original city have been replaced by streets and buildings. Despite this, Kole's work allows us to imagine what the city may have looked, sounded, and smelled like, inviting us to envision a canoe gliding through the canals and the sound of people speaking Nahuatl.
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Frequently asked questions
The Conquest of Mexico paintings, painted in the 17th century, depict the Spanish conquest of the Aztec people and include scenes of battles between the Spanish and the Aztecs, encounters between Hernán Cortés and the Aztec emperor Moctezuma, and the eventual capture of the last Aztec king.
The Conquest of Mexico paintings are held in the Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress.
Yes, the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera created a mural called "Tenochtitlan Marketplace" which depicts the bustling market of the Aztec city.
Yes, in addition to paintings, there are detailed maps and a lifelike 3D rendering of the ancient Aztec capital created by video game software developer Thomas Kole.
