After the defeat of the Spaniards during the la noche triste, Cortes marched the survivors away from the city in the direction of Tlazcala. During this flight from Tenochtitlan, Cortes took his men through the valley of Otumba. Here Cuitlahuac, the new Mexica leader of the Aztec empire and a brother of Motecuhzoma II, mounted a major battle against the invaders. The Europeans and their allies were both outnumbered and in a weakened condition and at the beginning of the battle the outcome did not look promising for them.

With a small group of men, however, Cortes attacked and captured the main leaders of the Mexica army, who are pictured in the left foreground. Like most of the other indigenous soldiers in this painting, these five men are dressed elaborate costumes. The leader on the left is clearly recognizable as a jaguar warrior. Surrounded by Spanish soldiers in armor on the left, the men face Cortes, whose wildy rearing horse threatens to trample them. Cortes holds a rapier to the chest of the man closest to him, who also clutches a rapier in his hand, presumably captured from the Spanish. The background of the painting gives way to furious fighting between the Spanish and the Mexica.

Spanish histories of the Conquest emphasize the significance of this battle as a key turning point in the fortunes of the Spanish in Mexico, who were the able to continue their journey to Tlaxcala, the home of Cortes most important allies, whence there were able to recover, regroup, enlist new men, and return to Tenochtitlan in December to continue the battle.

The Conquest of Mexico paintings, a series of eight works, tell the story of the 1521 Spanish conquest of the native Aztec people. A highlight of the Kislak Collection, they are significant both artistically and historically. They represent a bridge between the collections wealth of pre-Columbian objects and its extensive array of manuscripts, maps, and rare books from the period of exploration and the early colonial period.

The paintings are outstanding examples in this genre of history painting because of their early date, fine condition, and the skill of the (unknown) artists involved. Painted in Mexico during the second half of the seventeenth century, the Kislak series is considered the earliest of the three complete cycles of paintings of the Conquest that still exist.

Medium : oil on canvas : original size: 48"x 78"

Artist : Unknown

Created : The second half of the seventeenth century

Caption is courtesy of Arthur Dunkelman, Curator of the Kislak Collection

For more information visit the Early Americas Exhibit

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Product #: kislak235E