Stretching from Europe to the Philippines, the Spanish Empire amassed great wealth—and spent lavishly on art.
Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
This multimedia architectural altarpiece took two decades to complete, and required teams of workers in many media.
Jerónimo de Balbás, Altar of the Kings (Altar ...
Why are these murals in the cloister of Acolman painted in only black and white?
Murals from New Spain, San Agustín de ...
The Conceptionists were founded for elite, pure-blooded Spanish women. This nun just took her vows.
Crowned Nun Portrait of Sor María de ...
Located in a high desert, Chaco’s residents dedicated much of their energy to controlling water for crops.
Introduction to Chaco Canyon
The sculptor Martínez Montañés was the “God of Wood,” but it’s the painter Pacheco who brought this work to life.
Juan Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, Christ ...
The Mexica people formed their capital when they saw the sign they had been promised: an eagle perched on a cactus.
Introduction to the Aztecs (Mexica)
Archaeological sites are under constant threat from human and natural forces.
Mesa Verde and the preservation of Ancestral ...
The severe exterior of this palace complex belies its highly decorative interior, once filled with art.
El Escorial, Spain
“Native American” is a broad term encompassing many diverse groups—learn how we organize this section.
About geography and chronological periods in Native ...
Too many assumptions persist about Native American arts and cultures—start here to disentangle fact from fiction.
Terms and Issues in Native American Art
The Spanish destroyed the main Aztec temple: an expression of spiritual and political conquest.
Unearthing the Aztec past, the destruction of ...
Mesoamerica was anything but homogenous—people in this region spoke more than 125 different languages!
Mesoamerica, an introduction
The original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was miraculously produced—this mother-of-pearl version was man-made.
Miguel González, The Virgin of Guadalupe
Capable of being male or female, the Earth Lord Tlaltecuhtli is shown here as a woman who has given birth.
Monolith of Tlaltecuhtli (Earth Lord)
A continuous narrative, this shows three different parts of the story, each in a different part of the landscape.
Baltasar de Echave Ibía, The Hermits
The Spanish reused the stones of pagan temples to build their new capital atop the Aztec city, Tenochtitlan.
New Spain, an introduction
This vessel represents the goggle-eyed deity associated with rain and crops, critical for the agricultural Aztecs.
Tlaloc vessel
Both Europe and the Americas were forever changed by Columbus’ accidental landing in the Caribbean in 1492.
Introduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the ...
The artist used Spanish coins as models for the coats of arms woven into this basket in California, then New Spain.