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Mexican History through Art
This document discusses Mexican history as portrayed through art by muralists such as Diego Rivera, David Siqueros, and Jose Orozco. It covers major periods and events in Mexican history from the pre-Columbian indigenous past up until the early 20th century, including the Mexican Revolution. The eras discussed include the Conquest by Spain, Colonial rule, the Independence movement, the Reform period, and the Mexican-American War, all depicted in murals focusing on national identity and the birth of the Mexican people.
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Mexican History through Art
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- 2. Diego Rivera andFrida Kahlo
- 3. “Window in MexicanIdentity” Born in the Revolution
- 7. Muralists and MexicanHistory Diego Rivera, David Siqueros and Jose Orozco
- 9. Before the Revolution(1876-1910)
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- 20. National Museum ofArt Palace of Fine Arts “We are taught from childhood to accept defeat with dignity…like Cuauhtémoc. We admire fortitude in the face of adversity more than the most brilliant triumph.” -Octavio Paz
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- 24. “Conversion of theIndians”
- 25. “The Earth youwalk on pilgrim is sacred…on this mountain springs two streams, symbols of the valiant Aztec race and the Spanish Missionaries, that submissively were united at the feet of MARY, mother and forger of the Mexican patria.”
- 27. On Aug. 13,1521, heroically defended by Cuauhtémoc, Tlatelolco fell to the power of Hernán Cortes. It was not a triumph, nor a defeat. It was the painful birth of the Mestizo people that is the Mexico of today. Plaza de las Tres Culturas (Square of the Three Cultures)
- 30. Independence (1810-1821) Siqueros, MexicanIndependence
- 31. Miguel Hidalgo ~George Washington Orozco, Mexican Independence
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- 34. Benito Juarez ~Abraham Lincoln The Reform
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Editor's Notes
- #2 The spatial concentration of memory and identity within the right type of urban spaces shows the class element embedded within cultural constructs.
- #19 Figure 4-2: The Cuauhtémoc Statue on Paseo de la Reforma.
- #20 Cuauhtemoc means “The Eagle that Falls.” CIVIC VIRTUE AND ETHNIC MESSAGE: SPANIARDS WERE EVIL AND CRUEL, NATIVES ARE COURAGEOUS AND HEROIC. Strength of the Indigenous warrior, and the cruelty of the Spaniards. This scene of torture is iconic, like Washington crossing the Delaware. General George Washington crossing the Delaware at the Battle of Trenton on Christmas night 1776 by Emmanuel Leutze This is shown as his death scene. Forget the fact that he served under the Spaniards as a local ruler until his death in 1525.
- #21 Again, we see the ‘anchor institutions of memory and identity’ within the capital city reaffirm civic values, national identity and strengthen ethnic pride. Culture doesn’t just form itself superorganically; culture is produced. By whom? For what purpose? Who are the cultural gatekeepers?
- #25 The historical act of the Conquest is literally purified in this symbolic framing of the events.
- #26 Symbols of Religion and the Nation are deeply intermingled. We also see a very different gendered message of “the Birth of the Nation.”
- #27 The mixture rises above the component parts, just as the dominant national narrative does. The Indios Verdes were ‘nomadic Indians’ until the found a place that situated it’s cultural meaning in a way that would resonate with Modern interpretations so Mexican culture. Ironically this was the EXACT same cultural message, but it was an idea that was literally ahead of it’s time and not in the right place. Cultural landscapes reflect the society that created them, but they are also carefully constructed to SHAPE cultural identity.
- #28 The italized sections allude to the three dominant discourses of Mexican history. The Landscape affirms the dominant national narrative. We must remember though, “what is accepted as historical truth is often a narrative shaped and reshaped through time to fit the demands of contemporary society” (KF). What you need for your notes: THE DOMINANT NATIONAL NARRATIVE IS VISIBLE IS INSCRIBED IN THE LANDSCAPE (LITERALLY). This cultural message is a gendered message, as the ‘conception’ of literally protrayed as a rape, and Mexico the offspring of that horrific union.
- #33 Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico’s George Washington, led a rebellion under the banner of the Virgin Mary. Political, economic, ethnic and religious identity deeply connected to the Virgin. WHAT COULD SANCTIFY the cultural memory of the monument?
- #36 Figure 5-25: The Monument to Benito Juárez in the Alameda, Mexico City.
- #39 Figure 6-11: Central sculpture group in the Monument to the Niños Héroes.