PXL_20250425_172633182

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:49:22 +0100

The Baptism of an Indigenous Noble
[Some authors identify him with Ixtlilxóchitl and others with Cuauhtémoc]
José Vivar y Valderrama
Oil on canvas
18th century

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Conquest was considered an epic event, commemorated in paintings, verses, and stories that highlighted
the pride of having been born or lived in the Kingdom of New Spain.

This oil painting depicts the vassalage of an Indigenous lord through the sacrament of baptism. Its central figures are the Mercedarian friar Bartolomé de Olmedo, the cleric Juan Díaz, and Hernán Cortés, as well as several Indigenous nobles. This painting was part of a series that extolled the merits of Friar Bartolomé de Olmedo, portrayed in the center wearing the Mercedarian habit.