The History of Modern Mexico Through Murals

Interpreting Murals

• Murals are any form of painting on a wall or rock surface.

• Mexico’s murals date back to 1000 B.C.E

• Elaborate murals adorned sacred temples of the Toltecs, Aztecs and Maya

Interpreting Murals

• The Murals told stories of gods and goddesses, and showed important ceremonies and scenes of everyday life.

• They were painted in vivid colors, with an emphasis on geometric and complex patterns of figures, animals, and shapes.

Interpreting Murals

• After the Spanish conquered Mexico in the sixteenth century, the mural tradition changed dramatically.

• Murals became less popular

• And often told Christian stories

Interpreting Murals• The Mexican Revolution in the 1920s and 1930s

encouraged a new appreciation for the rich mural traditions of native Mexican cultures.

• Three artist led the “muralist movement” • Diego Rivera• Jose Clemente Orozco• David Alfaro Sizueiros

Interpreting Murals

• These new murals showed images of every day Indian life and religion along with scenes drawn from the Mexican Revolution.

• The murals were created in a Vibrant, muscular style reminiscent of the murals of ancient Mexico.

Interpreting Murals

• How to interpret murals• An object is anything that can be seen or touched

• Dove• Chains• Or a person.

• A symbol is an image or object that represents something else• Doves stand for peace• Chains stand for bondage• Skulls stand for death.

Tenochtitlan Market PlaceMountains surrounded the Valley of Mexico

The city was an important religious center filled with pyramids topped with temples

Petates, or Mats, were woven out of

reeds from the nearby lakes and

used for indoor and outdoor floor

coverings

A laborer or slave is identified by his simple loincloth and headband

The importance of family is seen here as mother carries her baby in a rebozo, or large scarf

Turkeys are readied for market and were a key indigenous food found in the Americas.

The headdress this man wears identifies him as a wealthy noble.

A snake appears on this Aztec Cloth and represents Quetzalcoatl, a god of creation

The Aztecs build Tenochtitlan on swampy ground at the center of Lake Texcoco

Tenochtitlan Marketplace by Diego Rivera in 1933

Aztec Society 1345 - 1521

• In 1345 the Aztecs or the Mexica(meh-Shee-ka) founded the city of Tenochtitlan.

• They were a fierce warlike people that had conqured most of Mexico by 1500.

• By 1502 Tenochtitlan, under the rule of Moctezuma II, became an impressive city.

• The city had temples, pyramids, palaces, and a huge marketplace.

Conquest by Jose Clemente Orozco

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

Cortes is carrying an iron sword, which he rest 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

Cortez and the angle above him are made of Machinery, Symbolizing the New European technology used by Cortez to conquer the Aztecs

The Fire raging in the background represents the widespread destruction brought by Cortes and the Spanish Soldiers

The bearded Spaniard is Hernan Cortes conqueror of the Aztec empire.

Cortes’ heartless nature is symbolized by the empty space on his chest where his heart should be.

Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs, 1521• In 1519 Cortes arrived

in Tenochtitlan accompanied by a small group of soldiers.

• Aztecs thought the Europeans were gods resembling Quetzalcoatl a fair skin blue-eyed god-king.

Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs, 1521• Within 2 years he had conquered the powerful Aztec

Empire.• Reasons for Aztec fall

• Cortes found ready allies among Indian nations the Aztecs had conquered.

• Diseases such as Small Pox, that were brought by the Europeans, killed thousands of Aztecs and Native Americans.

• Europeans Technology – Horses, Metal armor and weapons, guns and canons.

Creation of the Mestizo, 1500s• After conquering the Aztecs, the Spaniards continued to

influence the indigenous population of Mexico.• Many of the soldiers took wives from the Native

population.• Mixing of Spanish and Indian races created a new

people called the Mestizos, who today form a vast majority of the population.

The Spanish Flag, the Catholic cross and the Sword are three symbols of the Conquest that represent the political, religious, and military power the Spanish used to Colonize the area.

Colonial Domination by Diego Rivera, 1933

The Spanish conquistadores use a branding iron to brand an Indian, which shows that some Spaniards treated Indians like Livestock

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 Spaniard’s greed is symbolized by the bag of gold held by the Spaniard.

The line of Indians yoked to a plow shows how the Spaniards treated the indigenous population as beast of burden. The donkey in the mural are being treated with more dignity

Backbreaking labor in the gold mines was forced upon the Indians by the fortune-hungry Spanish

The position of submission of Cuauhtémoc, the last emperor of the Aztec empire to the standing conquistador, or Spanish conqueror, shows the defeat of the Aztecs.

Spanish Treatment of Indians 1500s to 1800s• Spanish colonial practices were cruel and barbarous.

• The Church considered the Indians heathens and therefore blessed the effort to convert them to Catholicism.

• However churchmen efforts to protect the Indians lost out to the demand for wealth and power.

Spanish Treatment of Indians 1500s to 1800s• The new Spanish colonies were built with forced Indian

labor.• Large land grants called enconmiendas, were given to

the Spanish Colonist by the Spanish King.• Included in this grant was the right to force labor from

Indians living on the land.

• Indians were forced to work in mines, build churches, and other buildings.

Spanish Treatment of Indians 1500s to 1800s• During this time, disease brought from Europe – such as

smallpox, typhoid, and measles – continued to ravage the Indian population.

• Disease and brutal work conditions reduced the Indian population from 25 Million in 1519 to 1 Million by 1700.

Hidalgo by Jose Clemente Orozco, 1939Father 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.

Hidalgo holds a machete, the symbol of Mexican agriculture, now on fire as it used for revolt by the masses

The priest’s collar worn by Hidalgo and the cross painted in the mural emphasize the role of the Church in the rebellion.

Mexican Independence 1810 - 1821

• As Mexico moved into the 19th century the social classes were still very much divided based on skin color and heritage.• Peninsulares – People born in Spain who filled the

top positions of government• Criollos – or people of pure Spanish decent born

in Mexico, were wealthy upper class.• Mestizos – half Spanish half Indian or African had

very few rights and lived lives of hard work and poverty

• Indians – Little to no rights.

Mexican Independence 1810 - 1821

• The early Mexican revolution was led by Indians and Mestizos.

• They pushed for reforms in…• Social Equality• Male Suffrage (right to vote)• Representational government• Distribution of unused land

• Most early revolutionaries were executed

Mexican Independence 1810 - 1821

• The final push for Independence came from the criollos looking to take power from the peninsulares

• In 1821 Mexico became an independent country however none of the reforms that the mestizos and natives supported were ever enacted

Juarez and the fall of the Empire by Jose Clemente Orozco 1948

The Mexican flag represent the growing patriotism of emerging middle class of Mexican professionals, like Juarez, who was a lawyer and politician

The mural is permeated by the color red as death and violence permeated this era of Mexican History

Juarez’s fiercest battles were to control the role of the Church in Mexican Politics and government. Orozco painted priest being subdued by soldiers to symbolize this struggle

In 1862, Mexico was conquered by France and Archduke Maximilian of Austria became emperor of Mexico. The crown and royal clothing in the mural represent the emperor

Juarez’s leadership of Mexico cam at a time when the country faced much foreign intervention. The European general represent the military invasion of both Spain and France in Mexico during the nineteenth century.

The Indian feature of Benito Juarez are shown in this mural

Machetes, weapons of the people, are shown in the hands of fighting peasants

Benito Juarez and the French Invasion, 1831-1872

• Benito Juarez (a Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca), the first leader to bring significant legal reform to Mexico• He was dedicated to helping the poor and protecting them against

corruption.

• During this time:• Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was Mexico’s military dictator• The Catholic Church controlled land education and politics.

Benito Juarez and the French Invasion, 1831-1872• Juarez and the liberal middle class overthrew Santa

Anna and instituted a constitutional democracy

• The new constitution espoused• freedom of education, • freedom of speech and the press• and some controls over the church.

Benito Juarez and the French Invasion, 1831-1872• French Emperor Louis Napoleon Bonaparte III wanted to

control all of Latin America and invaded Mexico

• The French Army began marching and after a brief set back on Cinco de Mayo Napoleon took control of Mexico and made Archduke Maximilian of Austria emperor of Mexico.

Benito Juarez and the French Invasion, 1831-1872• Most Mexicans resented being controlled by a foreign

emperor.

• They joined with Juarez to overthrow the French.

• Benito Juarez continued to reform Mexico to become more democratic.

Revolution Against Porfirian Dictatorship by David Alfaro Siqueiros in 1922

The men wear European clothes and moustaches, and upper class-women are also dressed in European style. Diaz idealized Europe and the United States, and looked down upon the Indian and Mestizo population of Mexico.

Porfirio Dias is surrounded by hovering crowds

Diaz is stepping on an open book, showing his disregard for the laws and policies instituted by more progressive Juarez government

The generals in uniform symbolize Diaz’s control over the army

Porfirio Dias is surrounded by hovering crowds

The top hats worn by the men along with their gloved hands, show the increasing wealth of a small portion of Mexican society. Foreign and Mexican industrialists amassed enormous fortunes during this period, without engaging in physical labor themselves.

Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, 1876 – 1910• Porfirio Diaz came to power overthrowing a weak

government after the death of Benito Juarez

• Diaz inherited a country with…• social and economic problems• deeply in debt to many foreign goverements• Outdated mining and farming techniques

Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, 1876 – 1910• Diaz focused his attention on business and industry.

• He invite foreign investors into the country• Built railroads• Revolutionized mining(which had remained unchanged

since the colonial times)• Introduced new farming techniques• Began new manufacturing industries

• Mexico became modernized

Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, 1876 – 1910• While life improved for a small wealthy class in Mexico,

poor Mexicans were worse off than before.• By 1910 the peasants had lost their land• Illiteracy and malnourishment were widespread• Average life expectancy was 30 years

• Mexicans revolted once again in May of 1910. Porfirio Diaz resigned and the Mexican Revolution began.

“Repression” part of a larger mural “History and Perspective of Mexico” by Diego Rivera 1933

The peasants are being held at gunpoint by government forces The sickle is held by a bent-over

worker. During this time period , peasants lost their lands and were forced to work on large haciendas for little or no wages

Rurales, or government forces are seated on horseback and are wearing carbines. The man wearing the sombrero and holding the whip is overseeing the workers. These two images symbolize the forms of coercion used to make the peasants work on the haciendas

Repression During the Rule of Porfirio Diaz• Diaz used rurales, or government forces to enforce

“peace”

• Campesinos, or peasants lived in virtual slavery.

The Trench by Jose Clemente Orozco 1927

The there soldados or soldiers, mirroring the Christian trinity add a powerful religious element to this mural. This is heightened by the cross form by the angles of soldiers’ bodies

The carbines and rifle help to reinforce the atmosphere of revolution

The color red, which pervades this mural, reflects the bloody and painful nature of this 10-year-long revolution

The sharp angles of the bodies of the soldados add to the drama of the scene

The Mexican Revolution 1910 - 1920• On November 20, 1910, oppressed campesinos,

students and ambitious politicians joined together and the Cry “Viva La Revolucion!” was heard throughout the land

• May 25, 1911 Diaz resigned his presidency

• It took 10 years violence for the revolution to end

The Mexican Revolution 1910 - 1920• In 1920 the Partido Revolucionario Institucional

(Institutional Revolutionary Party) or PRI with the presidency of Alvaro Obregon.

• The PRI has ruled mexico since 1920

Land Distribution by Diego Rivera 1920

The government bureaucrat is indicating with his outstretched arm the land that is to be given to the campesinos, He points to a blueprint showing land parcels

The legal books indicate the government's commitment to the redistribution of hacienda land, a commitment made into law by the constitution of 1917

The faces of the rich men show their anger of their land being redistributed

The campesinos are holding their rifles in a nonthreatening positions, signifying an end to they recent violence of the revolution.

The campesinos have taken off their sombreros, a sign of the solemn nature of the occasion.

The Legacy of the Mexican Revolution• Hacienda land redistribution to the campesinos

• Mexico’s pre-Spanish roots and Mexican heroes and replaced European and Spanish ones

The Legacy of the Mexican Revolution• Despite some improvements the PRI was controlled by

criollos who smothered democracy.

• Corruption was rampant in large industry such as oil.

• Indians were still treated poorly

• Many poor Mexican had to leave the countryside to find jobs in the big cities or the United States.