Study Guide: Baroque and Spanish Colonies in America — Art and Culture

Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza

A painted manuscript combining indigenous art with European conventions; depicts Aztec rulers meeting Spanish conquistadors.

Master of Calamarca, Angel with Arquebus

An oil painting reflecting Baroque style, symbolizes the fusion of Spanish military power and divine protection.

Circle of the González Family, Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and Screen with a Hunting Scene

Large folding screens merging European Baroque styles with indigenous Mexican artistry, serving as status symbols in colonial homes.

Virgin of Guadalupe

An oil painting by Miguel González, significant for its incorporation of enconchados and its role in Mexican religious identity.

Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo

A casta painting depicting racial mixing in colonial Mexico, illustrating social and racial hierarchies.

Biombo

A folding screen used in colonial Mexican homes, often intricately painted and reflecting European and indigenous artistry.

Casta Paintings

Artworks categorizing racial mixtures in Spanish colonies, reinforcing social hierarchies of colonial society.

Enconchados

A Baroque technique embedding iridescent shells into paintings, giving luminous effects, used notably in the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Escudo

The Spanish colonial coat of arms, symbolizing the authority of the Spanish crown in the colonies.

Mestizo

A person of mixed European and indigenous ancestry, reflective of the complex caste system in Spanish colonies.

Viceroy

The highest official in Spanish colonies, representing the crown and governing territories like New Spain.