New Spain consisted of Mexico, much of Central America, parts of the West Indies, from California to Florida, and the Philippines.
1521 - 1821 C.E.
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The Bug That Had the World Seeing Red
Once there was a color so valuable that emperors and conquistadors coveted it, and so did kings and cardinals. Artists went wild over it. Pirates ransacked ships for it.
What does the music of heaven sound like? St. Cecilia in New Spain
What does the music of heaven sound like?
The Medici collect the Americas
After Columbus landed on Hispaniola in 1492, items from the Americas were shipped to Europe where they were perceived as exotic items of wonder and fascination.
Mission churches as theaters of conversion in New Spain
Built by Catholic monks to convert the indigenous population, these spaces combined pre-Hispanic and European forms.
Murals from New Spain, San Agustín de Acolman
Why are these murals in the cloister of Acolman painted in only black and white?
Crowned Nun Portrait of Sor María de Guadalupe
The Conceptionists were founded for elite, pure-blooded Spanish women. This nun just took her vows.
The manuscripts of Luis de Carvajal
The beguiling—and tragic—story of the Carvajal family of crypto-Jews, is illuminated by the manuscripts Luis made.
Miguel González, The Virgin of Guadalupe
The original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was miraculously produced—this mother-of-pearl version was man-made.
Baltasar de Echave Ibía, The Hermits
A continuous narrative, this shows three different parts of the story, each in a different part of the landscape.
New Spain, an introduction
The Spanish reused the stones of pagan temples to build their new capital atop the Aztec city, Tenochtitlan.
Biombo with the Conquest of Mexico and View of Mexico City
This screen offers an idealized bird’s eye view of Mexico City on one side, and depicts the Conquest on the other.
Miguel Cabrera, Virgin of the Apocalypse
Cabrera fancied himself the Michelangelo of Mexico, but chose to borrow the format and iconography of Rubens.