Dr. Maya Jiménez

About Dr. Maya Jiménez

Dr. Maya Jiménez is Contributing Editor for Twentieth-Century Latin American Art. She received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Center, CUNY, where she focused on the transatlantic dialogues between Latin American and European modern art. She is currently a lecturer at the Museum of Modern Art and Assistant Professor at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY.

Frida Kahlo, Frieda and Diego Rivera, 1931, oil on canvas, 39-3/8 x 31 inches or 100.01 x 78.74 cm (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) — […]

Latin American art, an introduction

The goal of the eagle warrior was to capture the greatest number of captives, who would then be sacrificed to the Mexica gods. All warriors rose in rank according to the number of captives they acquired.

Eagle Warrior (Mexica)

Modern architecture in Mexico and Brazil adapts the ideas of Le Corbusier in surprising and important ways.

International Style architecture in Mexico and Brazil

Latin American artists in the nineteenth century developed interests in painting the local landscape as a way to create a sense of pride in their country’s past, present, and future.

Landscape Painting in Nineteenth-Century Latin America

Frida Kahlo painted 55 self-portraits, demonstrating the importance of this genre to her artistic oeuvre.

Frida Kahlo, introduction

Roman mythology, Christian iconography, European painting and sculpture, and indigenous traditions come together in the art of South America soon after the Spanish conquest.

Early Viceregal Architecture and Art in Colombia

northwest posa chapel, Ex Convento de San Miguel, Huejotzingo, constructed 1526-70 — Built by Catholic monks to convert the indigenous population, these spaces combined pre-Hispanic and European forms.

Mission churches as theaters of conversion in ...

Humboldt und Bonpland am Fuß des Chimborazo in Ecuador — European explorers enhanced knowledge of the new world, but their efforts were soured by an air of re-conquest.

Early Scientific Exploration in Latin America

Mexico after independence — Revolutionary priests and an ex-member of the Spanish military led a charge for independence and equality for some.

Mexican Independence

Humboldt und Bonpland am Fuß des Chimborazo in Ecuador — European explorers enhanced knowledge, but their efforts were soured by an air of re-conquest.

Early Scientific Exploration in Latin America

Costumbrismo — Stereotypical folkloric scenes were widely circulated, shaping perceptions of Latin America at home and abroad.

Costumbrismo

Site of the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City since 1791 — Inspired by art academies in Europe, Mexico founded its own in 1785, the first in America.

The Academy of San Carlos

Figueroa, Simon Bolivar — Enlightenment ideals of democracy planted the seeds for colonial movements in the Spanish colonies of the Americas.

Independence from Spanish rule in South America

Palenque — One of many Maya city-states, Palenque rose to prominence in the seventh century thanks to an ambitious local lord.

Palenque (Classic Period)

The Maya, an introduction — As independent city-states, the ancient Maya lacked a centralized power but shared a common belief system.

The Maya, an introduction

Teōtīhuacān reached its peak from the 1st to the mid-6th century C.E. The main structures include the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, Avenue of the Dead, and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent). Teotihuacan was home to as many as 125,000 people. The name Teōtīhuacān was given by the Aztecs long after the city had been abandoned c. 550 C.E. The original name is lost. — Why are the names of two Italians used to describe the sophisticated cultures before the arrival of the Europeans?

Defining “Pre-Columbian” and “Mesoamerica”

“Latin America” is an imperfect but useful term for a vast and culturally diverse area.

Latin American art: an introduction

Mesoamerica before European colonization — The Aztecs knew Teotihuacan as the “city of the gods” and revered it. But who were the people who built it?

Teotihuacan

José Clemente Orozco, Dive Bomber and Tank, 1940 — Painted in front of MOMA visitors in 1940 as WWII waged on, Orozco’s mural depicts the triumph of war over humanity.

José Clemente Orozco, Dive Bomber and Tank

Lygia Clark, Bicho, 1962, aluminum (photo: trevor.patt, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) — Described by Clark as a “non object,” Bicho can take many shapes, and is manipulated by the viewer.

Lygia Clark, Bicho