The first meeting between Cortes and Motecuhzoma, which occurred on the shores of Lake Texcoco outside the capital city of Tenochtitlan, was peaceful if socially awkward. Contemporary accounts state that Motecuhzoma wore rich clothing and sandals. His lords or caciques carried a canopy for him to stand under; it was decorated with green feathers, gold and silver embroidery, and precious stones. Chieftains swept the ground before him, while other dignitaries held out royal mats so that Motecuhzoma's gold sandals would not touch the earth. The painter, who has followed these contemporary accounts quite closely, depicts Cortes's arrival at this scene of refined theatrical spectacle. Cortes has dismounted from his horse and he approaches Motecuhzoma with his arms opened in a gesture of embrace, which the Mexica leader respectfully rejects by raising his left hand.

Despite the painter's attention to detail, Motecuhzoma's muscled and idealized body, dignified stance, full beard, aristocratic nose, and even the golden sword he holds in his right hand owe more to European ideas about how a king and an Indian should be pictured than to ethnographic accuracy. In addition, while the feather skirts worn by Motecuhzoma and his court were part of the standard iconography for depicting Indians, such skirts were not worn in Mexico or anywhere else in the Americas. The painter has paid great attention to the clothing of Malinche, who stands besides Cortes as one of the primary figures in this composition. A small yellow dot in he sky to the left of the volcano may represent a comet that appeared in the sky over Tenochtitlan at this time. According to some sources, its appearance contributed to Motecuhzoma's inability to address the Spanish threat effectively, because it was interpreted as an omen of disaster.

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 : 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 #: kislak232E