0:00:05 > 0:00:10Each year in December, millions of Catholics embark on a pilgrimage.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14They come from all over Mexico and beyond.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Their final destination is a church in the Northern Quarter of the capital, Mexico City.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25In a very public display of painful self-sacrifice and atonement,
0:00:25 > 0:00:31the most devout of these pilgrims approach the last miles on their knees.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Many of them cling to the image they carry on their back.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39It's one of the most famous works of devotional art in the world.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43The image is the Virgin of Guadalupe,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48and she's revered by Mexico's 100 million Catholics.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52She offers grace and protection to all who worship at her shrine,
0:00:52 > 0:00:58and the image has transcended religion to become one of the country's most unifying symbols.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03But this image was borne out of brutal conquest that changed the course of
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Mexican and world history.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11It symbolises the eradication of Mexico's ancient cultures by the might of
0:01:11 > 0:01:15the Spanish and the imposition of Catholicism.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21It was one more turn for a country whose history and people have been
0:01:21 > 0:01:23propelled by three main forces...
0:01:25 > 0:01:27..land and nature,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31which have been both the source of life and the cause of conflict and
0:01:31 > 0:01:33death since the earliest times...
0:01:34 > 0:01:36..the struggle for power,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40which has defined this nation's history over millennia,
0:01:40 > 0:01:45and faith, in Mesoamerican gods and Christian iconography,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48which has been ever-present throughout its existence.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52They are the beats,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56rhythms and currents of Mexico, and they run through my blood.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00As an artist born here and with roots stretching back generations...
0:02:01 > 0:02:07..I want to take you on a journey through these three great stories that have shaped
0:02:07 > 0:02:10not just Mexican art, but Mexico itself.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17And in this programme I explore how faith, ancient and modern,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21has been a constant driver of all Mexican civilisations.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40The power of art to provide a focus for belief in Mexico didn't begin
0:02:40 > 0:02:42with the Virgin of Guadalupe,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46but it is a vital image in understanding how art has provided
0:02:46 > 0:02:50an unbreakable link between religion and the Mexican people.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58As an artist,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I was inspired and overwhelmed by the ritualised expression of devotion to
0:03:02 > 0:03:07the Virgin and the infinite reproductions of the sacred image the pilgrims carry.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14I decided to photograph individual pilgrims to explore the deeply personal
0:03:14 > 0:03:17relationship between image and belief.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25So this is the series I made over the course of two years at the
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City,
0:03:28 > 0:03:33specifically during the days of the Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And this is significant because there's eight million people that go there
0:03:37 > 0:03:39every year, and I was one of those eight million.
0:03:39 > 0:03:45Now, Mexican devotees have at least one image of the Virgin in their home -
0:03:45 > 0:03:48in their bedroom, in their living room, in their dining room -
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and they take their image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57I could see the Virgins on people's backs turned back towards me and
0:03:57 > 0:03:59they looked like they were dancing,
0:03:59 > 0:04:06and I started photographing the backs of the pilgrims carrying their personal Virgin.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12Each one has a completely neutral white space around them, which
0:04:12 > 0:04:17echoes the Resplandor, which is the light around the Virgin.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23So this is the flower that we use in Mexico at Christmas, Noche Buena,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and he's decorated it with Christmas flowers.
0:04:26 > 0:04:32Here are the roses from the Apparition, and he's done this graffiti himself.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36And I just think this one is full of energy and full of his personality,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and he's wearing Nike red trainers to match.
0:04:47 > 0:04:53For me, this series is a deconstruction of the philosophical,
0:04:53 > 0:05:00psychological and sociocultural need for an image in order to believe.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05What is it as visual beings that makes us crave images, need images,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07in order to feel a connection to the divine?
0:05:12 > 0:05:16The original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe hangs in this modern
0:05:16 > 0:05:20basilica, where it still draws millions of pious Catholics.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24It was painted in the 16th century,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28most likely by an indigenous painter who would have been retrained in a
0:05:28 > 0:05:31new European style by Franciscan monks.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39PRAYING
0:05:39 > 0:05:41When Spain conquered Mesoamerica,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45part of their mission was to convert the people to Christianity.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Art was one of their most persuasive tools.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56To the Catholic Church, the Virgin of Guadalupe is more than art.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00They believe this image came about through miraculous contact with the
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Holy Mother herself.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08This miracle was aimed at convincing the indigenous people to embrace a new religion.
0:06:10 > 0:06:17According to Mexican Catholic tradition, one day in December 1531, Juan Diego,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21an indigenous farmer, was making his way to Mass through Tepeyac Hill,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24the sacred site of the Aztec goddess Tonantzin,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28when suddenly before him appeared a vision.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29It was the Virgin Mary.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33She appeared three more times over the course of four days.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36On the last apparition,
0:06:36 > 0:06:41the Virgin instructed Juan Diego to collect the roses from the top of the hill.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45He was very surprised by this instruction because actually it was December
0:06:45 > 0:06:47and the hill was usually barren.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50But when he arrived, it was plentiful with flowers.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53He collected and folded them into his tunic
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and took them to the Bishop.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56When he arrived,
0:06:56 > 0:07:02he unfolded his tunic to reveal not only the roses but also that the image
0:07:02 > 0:07:05of the Virgin had imprinted itself onto the tunic.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10This is a miracle of the Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14When she appeared in the early 16th century,
0:07:14 > 0:07:20the indigenous people were incorporated into the Catholic religion through a miracle.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25From that moment, the Virgin became embedded in this new world.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32She was invoked in the rallying call that triggered Mexico's War of Independence in 1810.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36And 100 years later, in the Mexican Revolution,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40rebel forces also marched under her banner.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45She transcended religion and has become emblematic of Mexico itself.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59It's paintings and sculptures of the Virgin that Catholics worship.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02In return, the Holy Mother provides comfort and protection.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09This concept wasn't strange when she was introduced to the people of Mesoamerica.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Their religions had developed over thousands of years and included the
0:09:15 > 0:09:19worship of male and female deities,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22who helped them overcome adversity and solve their problems.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Many of their gods represented the vital forces of rain and wind,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33war and wisdom, death and fertility.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40And some deities, similar to the Virgin of Guadalupe, stood supreme.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44The Great Goddess, a mother goddess,
0:09:44 > 0:09:50was a principal deity of one of the great city states of the ancient world.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Between 100 and 600 AD,
0:09:56 > 0:10:01Teotihuacan had an enormous religious influence across all of ancient Mexico.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Nearly 700 years after it fell,
0:10:06 > 0:10:11the ruins were a place of pilgrimage for the all-conquering Aztecs.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16They believed the city had been built by gods.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18And you can see why.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24It's vast, designed to swamp the individual in an overarching cosmic
0:10:24 > 0:10:29vision expressed through some of the most remarkable art and architecture
0:10:29 > 0:10:35in the world. A three-mile long processional way is flanked by monumental
0:10:35 > 0:10:38pyramids dedicated to the sun and the moon
0:10:38 > 0:10:42as well as a huge walled square where the people would gather for
0:10:42 > 0:10:43religious rituals.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49The far end of the square is one of the most striking and ornately
0:10:49 > 0:10:54designed buildings in all of the Americas, el Templo de la Serpiente Emplumada -
0:10:54 > 0:10:56the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03The Feathered Serpent was a formidable deity that had associations with
0:11:03 > 0:11:05power, war and nobility.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11The construction of this temple in the third century is thought to have
0:11:11 > 0:11:16signalled a shift in the power balance within Teotihuacan and the rise of the cult
0:11:16 > 0:11:17of the Feathered Serpent.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25And to demonstrate this cult's power, 200 people were sacrificed,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29including high-status warriors.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34Blood, the essence of life, was offered in return for this god's favour.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41The cult commanded their artisans to design a structure that placed their
0:11:41 > 0:11:45authority at the very heart of Teotihuacano belief.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Artisans were kept close to power in Teotihuacan.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00Their ability to bring deities to life was considered a supernatural act in itself.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Even after its fall,
0:14:04 > 0:14:11Teotihuacan continued to command spiritual influence over succeeding civilisations,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15particularly the Aztecs, who worshipped many of the same deities.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21At the beginning of the 16th century,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25this long religious and artistic tradition came to an abrupt halt.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Spanish Conquistadors, under the command of the adventurer Hernan Cortes,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36landed on the shores of Mesoamerica in 1519.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43They were intent on plunder, but they did so under the banner of their religion, Catholicism.
0:14:49 > 0:14:55This work of art is called El Lienzo De Tlaxcala, The Linen Of Tlaxcala.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01It's an indigenous account of the darkest event in the history of the sacred city of Cholula.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09In the course of one day in 1519, the Spanish killed thousands here,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11looting treasure and burning temples.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19A final humiliation after this massacre was the construction of a
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Catholic church on top of the city's sacred pyramid.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28This marked the emphatic arrival of a new world view that would forever
0:15:28 > 0:15:32alter the nature of belief in this part of the world.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34From Cholula, Cortes
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and his men marched towards their ultimate goal -
0:15:36 > 0:15:40the capital of the all-powerful Aztec Empire.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48This is all that remains of a once great city.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52And it lies at the heart of Mexico City.
0:15:52 > 0:15:59THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:15:59 > 0:16:01They're opening a water duct
0:16:01 > 0:16:07so that the water streams down and doesn't erode the existing structure.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17Underneath Mexico's capital lies another capital called Tenochtitlan.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It was the centre of the Aztec's spiritual world,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23the very axis between their heavens and their underworlds.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27At its height in the 16th century,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31it was said to have been home to as many as 200,000 people.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37When the Spanish first saw this city in November of 1519,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40its scale and beauty astonished them.
0:16:42 > 0:16:49It was likened to Venice because the city was crisscrossed by a series of canals.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52And its great temple, dedicated to the god of war and rain,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55rivalled the cathedrals of Sevilla and Cordoba.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01It's now only in art that we can see the full grandeur of this city
0:17:01 > 0:17:07because, admiration aside, the Spanish reduced Tenochtitlan to rubble.
0:17:11 > 0:17:17BELLS TOLL
0:17:17 > 0:17:19It's amazing to see the cathedral
0:17:19 > 0:17:22right over the walls of the Templo Mayor.
0:17:22 > 0:17:28There was a total destruction, a mission to destroy Aztec civilisation,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32and you can really see that here because the same stone that came from the
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Templo Mayor, the centre of the Aztec world, built the cathedral.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42The same materials, the same building techniques, the same families,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44the same people, built both.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55It's quite emotional, actually, because I don't think you feel anywhere in
0:17:55 > 0:18:00Mexico the clash of civilisations as much as you do here.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06And I think it's a reminder that spiritual conquest was an imperative
0:18:06 > 0:18:08of the Spanish colonial project.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14And that led to the destruction not only of the belief system but all
0:18:14 > 0:18:18the material culture that went along with that, and...
0:18:20 > 0:18:23..it fills me with sadness, actually, that all this was destroyed.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46These ruins may well have remained lodged in sediment forever had it
0:18:46 > 0:18:49not been for one night in the 1970s.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Electrical workers were digging deep under the streets of Mexico City when
0:18:55 > 0:18:57suddenly they hit a massive stone block.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06This monolith, 11 feet across, is called the Coyolxauhqui Stone.
0:19:06 > 0:19:12It's a masterpiece of Aztec art, central to their belief in human sacrifice.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18Carved into the stone are the remains of the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22She was a force of darkness that fought every day against her brother,
0:19:22 > 0:19:28the god of the sun. The Aztecs worshipped the sun and rejuvenated him with
0:19:28 > 0:19:32their own blood. Each day began with the sun killing the moon,
0:19:32 > 0:19:38dismembering her and throwing her body parts from the top of a high mountain.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41So the placing of this monolith at the foot of the stairs of the great
0:19:41 > 0:19:43temple was highly symbolic.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49The temple represented the mountain and, during some calendrical
0:19:49 > 0:19:55festivities, sacrifice was conducted on top of the temple and the victims
0:19:55 > 0:19:58were thrown to the platform,
0:19:58 > 0:20:04and they were, like, re-enacting the death of Coyolxauhqui.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06And who would have carved her?
0:20:06 > 0:20:12The sculptures were a very important part of the Aztec Empire because
0:20:12 > 0:20:17they were in charge of putting the gods in the stone.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21What is also important is that we are seeing this monolith, but we
0:20:21 > 0:20:24need to imagine her all painted.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- Wow.- She was colourful.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27You can see she's dismembered...
0:20:28 > 0:20:33..so she represents all these rituals, sacrificial rituals,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37and also you can see in her belly this folding,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40which means she was a mother.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44- Wow.- So she is connected to fertility, to the moon, to the world.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49For the Aztecs, the art was, you know, commingled with the religion.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52They were not producing for the people, they were producing for the gods,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55to put the gods on the Earth, to re-enact the myths.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57So it's more complex than art.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07This is a wall of carvings of human skulls, and the archaeologist that
0:21:07 > 0:21:13found them found them scattered around the area of Templo Mayor, and put them back
0:21:13 > 0:21:17together to mirror a wall of real skulls.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22They were a reminder of the human sacrifices that had been made,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24the animal sacrifices as well.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Jaguars, pumas and wolves were sacrificed along with humans.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Catholic missionaries described the Aztecs as being skilled in the
0:21:37 > 0:21:41mechanical and liberal arts and as being perfect philosophers and
0:21:41 > 0:21:46astrologers, but their religion was said to be inspired by the Devil.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It was ritual human and animal sacrifice that
0:21:53 > 0:21:56was diabolical in their eyes.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00And it served as a pretext for one of the most brutal campaigns of
0:22:00 > 0:22:03iconoclasm in world history.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Catholic missionaries evangelised the vanquished indigenous people
0:22:07 > 0:22:09whilst burning their religious artefacts.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14The items that survive give us a picture of the colour,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17vibrancy and complexity of the indigenous religion.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21The Spanish knew that conversion of the indigenous people could not be
0:22:21 > 0:22:23achieved through coercion alone.
0:22:26 > 0:22:32They retrained the artisans of Mesoamerica to create art in a European style
0:22:32 > 0:22:34that would help spread a new message -
0:22:34 > 0:22:39art could only serve Catholicism in the land that was now called the
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Viceroyalty of New Spain.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49The Spanish claimed that it was religion and not plunder that was
0:22:49 > 0:22:51the driving principle of the conquest.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57The church immediately set about changing the skyline of their colony.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02Pyramids topped with temples were replaced with churches and steeples
0:23:02 > 0:23:03topped with a cross.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15The construction of Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral spanned three
0:23:15 > 0:23:21centuries and incorporated Renaissance, neoclassical and baroque styles.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26This opulence wasn't borne out of devotion alone.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The high demand for lucrative exports of silver,
0:23:29 > 0:23:35indigo and chocolate quickly made this colony the jewel in the Spanish crown.
0:23:35 > 0:23:41The Catholic Church was given a considerable role in the new colonial state.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46It grew rich from collecting tithes on all agricultural production, and
0:23:46 > 0:23:51this gave it the political and financial clout to dominate the art of the colony.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01This is the Altar of the Kings. It's florid,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03fantastic and the design is overpowering.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10Standing over 80 feet tall and almost 50 feet across,
0:24:10 > 0:24:15it's the backdrop that projects the dominance of the Church in New Spain,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18where priests would celebrate the Eucharist -
0:24:18 > 0:24:21the symbolic but bloodless sacrifice of Catholicism.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26The altar is built in a style referred to as the Ultrabaroque -
0:24:26 > 0:24:30an even more exaggerated version of the overwrought and ornate style of
0:24:30 > 0:24:37the Baroque. A key motif of the Ultrabaroque is the estipite -
0:24:37 > 0:24:42inverted obelisks that are used in place of traditional weight-bearing columns.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47The effect is to give the impression that the entire altar floats.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Like most architecture and art in New Spain,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57the Ultrabaroque was an imported style.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03The Church wanted artists to produce exact replicas of European works.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11But within the cathedral, there are extraordinary 17th-century paintings by
0:25:11 > 0:25:15an artist born and raised in the colony who managed to develop his own
0:25:15 > 0:25:21artistic language, even when working within the strict confines set down
0:25:21 > 0:25:22by the Church.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28His name was Cristobal de Villalpando.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34Cristobal de Villalpando was one of the best painters that Mexico,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36New Spain, produced.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38In my mind, probably the best painter...
0:25:39 > 0:25:42..that lived and worked in New Spain.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46He is the painter that best represents...
0:25:48 > 0:25:52..what would be Baroque in Mexico.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57I think the painter he's most akin to is probably Rubens.
0:25:57 > 0:26:03In terms of being a painter in a Catholic Spanish context,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06they would have been similar because Rubens, of course,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10was working in Catholic Flanders, which was governed by Spain.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16So they would have had some of the same sorts of subjects to deal with -
0:26:16 > 0:26:21the glory of the Church, the glory of the monarchy, this sort of thing.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24What would you say makes his work Mexican?
0:26:24 > 0:26:25He never left Mexico.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29What he knew about painting he learned here, and how he developed,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34he developed here. He starts out as a painter who is much more linear -
0:26:34 > 0:26:38that is, one can see outlines clearly of his figures.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43With time, outlines of the figures are not as important as the
0:26:43 > 0:26:46brushstrokes or as the play of colour.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58For centuries, in a room where the vestments and articles of worship
0:26:58 > 0:27:03are kept, priests have prepared for mass surrounded by some of the most
0:27:03 > 0:27:05glorious art of the Spanish world.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08It's amazing.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14We're in the sacristy of the Cathedral of Mexico City, and actually one of
0:27:14 > 0:27:19the oldest parts of the building, the vault, is a Gothic vault.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22So this was built in the late 16th century.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24And here, over the door...
0:27:25 > 0:27:27..is a glorious painting.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31It's a very famous painting by Cristobal de Villalpando.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35It's the Apotheosis of Saint Michael, the Archangel -
0:27:35 > 0:27:38of course the protector of the Church.
0:27:49 > 0:27:56The whole point of this space is to make one statement after another about the
0:27:56 > 0:28:01glory of the Church in general and the glory of the Mexican Church in particular.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08Is it a coincidence that Michael's wearing Mexico's national colours?
0:28:08 > 0:28:13They are also the colours that correspond to the three cardinal virtues.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Red is for charity, white is for faith, and green,
0:28:17 > 0:28:23which of course refers to vegetation, the hope of new growth.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28It's not only a glorious painting and tells us that he's a very great artist,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30but he also puts himself in the painting.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32There's a figure who is not a cleric,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35he's dressed in black and has a smaller white collar,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37and that's a self-portrait of Villalpando.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38He's looking straight out at us,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41which is an identifying sign for self-portraits,
0:28:41 > 0:28:47and below in the bushes there there's a scroll, and it has on it a
0:28:47 > 0:28:53signature that Villalpando made this and Villalpando invented this.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Villalpando's assertion of originality in his work was
0:29:01 > 0:29:06a sign that artists in New Spain wanted their artistry and individuality
0:29:06 > 0:29:09to be reflected in their work.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12It was the very beginning of a distinct national style.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Artists would still look to Europe for inspiration, and their commissions
0:29:18 > 0:29:21would still be dominated by the Church,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25but their work was inspired by their life in this colony.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32Miguel Cabrera was a deeply religious man who was one of the leading
0:29:32 > 0:29:34artists of 18th-century New Spain.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38He was commissioned to paint a copy of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was
0:29:38 > 0:29:42presented to the Pope in 1754 -
0:29:42 > 0:29:46an act which marked the increasing importance of New World Catholicism.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54He also painted portraits that captured the secular luxury as well as the
0:29:54 > 0:29:56blossoming intellectual life of New Spain.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03His most famous portrait hangs today in the Natural History Museum and
0:30:03 > 0:30:05features a remarkable woman.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08This woman is a nun.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Her name is Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a unique woman -
0:30:16 > 0:30:20unique in intelligence, talent...
0:30:21 > 0:30:24..and personality.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27I think it's the most brilliant mind...
0:30:28 > 0:30:32..extraordinary mind in all Mexican history.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38Born into poverty in 1648 and raised by her grandfather,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41she was a precociously intelligent child.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46By the age of eight, she was writing poetry, and by 13 she had mastered
0:30:46 > 0:30:47Latin and Greek.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Stating that she was averse to marriage, she became a nun,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58where she could devote her life to God but also commune with ideas and knowledge.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03She wrote poetry and plays,
0:31:03 > 0:31:07one of which provocatively questioned the brutal treatment of the Aztecs
0:31:07 > 0:31:10as well as showing sympathy for indigenous beliefs.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17It strikes me that her nun's badge is very large.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Why do you think that is?
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Maybe Miguel Cabrera wants to emphasise...
0:31:24 > 0:31:26..the scene of the Annunciation.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28The Virgin Maria...
0:31:29 > 0:31:36..renounced the every day and common life to become the Mother of God and
0:31:36 > 0:31:43is the parallel to Sor Juana when she renounced to be just a woman
0:31:43 > 0:31:44and became a nun.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53Cabrera captures the essence of a woman who devoted her life to spiritual reflection.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58She's not impassive or meek but confident and fired by an
0:31:58 > 0:32:01endless intellectual curiosity.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05In this painting, she was looking to you.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10- Mm-hm.- But you don't know what she's telling you.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Mm.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Maybe she was asking you why you are looking at her.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19At the time this painting was made,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23what was the relationship between artist and commissioner?
0:32:23 > 0:32:28The artists made that commissioners want.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32The artist put the technique, the commissioner put the composition.
0:32:33 > 0:32:40The commissioner made all the details because Sor Juana, in this case,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Sor Juana was the hero of the convent.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48And the commissioner wanted to emphasise that Sor Juana was the
0:32:48 > 0:32:51most important nun in that convent.
0:32:52 > 0:32:58Sor Juana, Miguel Cabrera and Cristobal de Villalpando were notable individuals in the
0:32:58 > 0:33:04development of a distinct artistic and intellectual tradition in New Spain.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09They were Creoles - people of Spanish descent who were born in the colony.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15By the 18th century, a separate Creole identity emerged...
0:33:17 > 0:33:20..one more sympathetic to the indigenous population.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30Here, an anonymous painting from the 17th century depicts the Aztec Emperor
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Moctezuma as self-sacrificing.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37He holds his hand to his chest like Christ showing his wounds to his
0:33:37 > 0:33:42disciples as he relinquishes his crown and sceptre to an unseen but
0:33:42 > 0:33:44higher Christian authority.
0:33:51 > 0:33:52This free interpretation
0:33:52 > 0:33:57of New Spain's history was not exclusive to an intellectual elite.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02Indigenous people had never relinquished certain aspects of their beliefs,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05and they were weaving them into the cultural foundations of the colony.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Wherever you go in Mexico, such as here in the city of Goma,
0:34:12 > 0:34:18there's always reminders of how this country's precolonial past endured
0:34:18 > 0:34:19and transformed.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Muchas gracias.
0:34:22 > 0:34:30So this is a pre-Hispanic drink made out of cocoa, amaranth, maize,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32cinnamon and water.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38And she uses this mixer.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Mm. It's absolutely delicious.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49It's like really good hot chocolate, but it's cold.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50It's really fresh.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54The Europeans added sugar cane to chocolate,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58a small example of how two cultures clashed but also mixed.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03This blend played out all across new Spain,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06most explicitly in the mestizos,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09the mixed raced children of Spanish men and indigenous women.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16But it was also evident here in the Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla,
0:35:16 > 0:35:21an extravagant articulation of faith drawn from Mexico's distinctive
0:35:21 > 0:35:22wellspring.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26The church is dedicated not just to the Virgin Mary,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30but also to the Aztec mother goddess, Tonantzin.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35It was built in the 17th century and from the outside, it appears modest.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39But what makes this church so remarkable is the interior.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49It's a design that defies description.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54The walls and the ceilings are completely covered in painted and
0:35:54 > 0:35:56gold coated plaster work.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59It's an almost overwhelming avalanche of detail.
0:36:53 > 0:36:59Indigenous artisans were needed to build the many churches throughout new Spain.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03These craftsmen worked to European designs but they interpreted them
0:37:03 > 0:37:06and fused with pre-Hispanic aesthetics.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Aztec religion was almost eradicated by the Europeans.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56The last Aztec ruler, Cuauhtemoc, was tortured by the Spanish,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00not because of his beliefs, but because they were convinced he was
0:38:00 > 0:38:02holding vast amounts of gold.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06He beseeched his people to surrender their material wealth
0:38:06 > 0:38:08but never their core beliefs.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45The unforeseen consequence of a relentless campaign to eradicate
0:38:45 > 0:38:49indigenous belief was the fusing of two competing religions.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55The indigenous people incorporated their religion into Christian ritual
0:38:55 > 0:38:56and ceremony.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00It was often camouflaged and unnoticed.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04The church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla is a remarkable example
0:39:04 > 0:39:09of how architecture allowed the teachings of a forbidden doctrine
0:39:09 > 0:39:10to hide in plain sight.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18It wasn't until the 20th century that these pre-Hispanic belief
0:39:18 > 0:39:21systems would be officially embraced and reinterpreted by the Mexican people.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Modern Mexico evolved over 200 years,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29beginning with the War of Independence from Spain in 1810,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33and then the long and bloody revolution in 1910.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38What finally emerged from these conflicts was the establishment of a
0:39:38 > 0:39:40cohesive national identity.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45Not one dictated by the church, but by a group of intellectuals and
0:39:45 > 0:39:50artists determined to celebrate and not deny Mexico's ancient cultures.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58From this generation, an artist of global significance emerged.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59Diego Rivera.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Diego Rivera was a giant of 20th-century art.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Most famous for his monumental murals that captured the spirit and
0:40:10 > 0:40:13imagination of post-revolutionary Mexico.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18His work is densely packed with a formidable grasp of his country's history.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21His ambition went much further than murals.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35When Mexico City was overhauling its water system in the 1950s,
0:40:35 > 0:40:39it felt it needed the touch of an artist to cap the project.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43The commission fell to Rivera, who drew from Mexican history, the
0:40:43 > 0:40:49most appropriate figure to anchor this municipal work - an ancient rain god.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57The result was La Fuente de Tlaloc, the fountain of Tlaloc.
0:40:57 > 0:41:03Tlaloc was known in central Mexico and all the pre-Hispanic societies
0:41:03 > 0:41:08as the God of water, the creator of all life, of course,
0:41:08 > 0:41:13and one of the deities most important god in those cultures.
0:41:13 > 0:41:18Do you think Diego Rivera was trying to be provocative to the Catholic
0:41:18 > 0:41:23Church by invoking a pre-Hispanic god in this fountain?
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Well, he was provocative in all his career, of course.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Pre-Hispanic figures and pre-Hispanic gods were something
0:41:31 > 0:41:35all Mexicans can relate to, and as the pre-Hispanic societies
0:41:35 > 0:41:40were the best of these new nationalism, I think Diego Rivera
0:41:40 > 0:41:45was thinking about Tlaloc as someone who all Mexicans can relate to.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47And, of course, he was very close to archaeologists
0:41:47 > 0:41:53and anthropologists at the time who were studying pre-Hispanic cultures.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56At that time, the studies, the archaeological studies,
0:41:56 > 0:41:58were quite avant-garde by the time,
0:41:58 > 0:42:05so that's very interesting to see how that became a national symbol.
0:42:06 > 0:42:11Water is symbolic everywhere but can you explain why, in particular, in
0:42:11 > 0:42:15Mexico it's such a strong symbol?
0:42:15 > 0:42:20Well, you have to remember we are in Mexico City and Mexico City is built
0:42:20 > 0:42:26over a lake, so, always it is part of our identity as a city
0:42:26 > 0:42:27and as a country.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38Diego Rivera thought about this fountain to be seen from above.
0:42:38 > 0:42:43Actually, he was thinking about people passing on aeroplanes and
0:42:43 > 0:42:46seeing this fountain, so the figure is very dynamic
0:42:46 > 0:42:47if you see it from above.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57But this fountain marks only one half of this artistic project.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59There's another aspect to this work.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07A vast water tank where the water flowed to the city.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18And even though they would be submerged underwater,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Rivera was asked to bring his genius to bear on these walls.
0:43:23 > 0:43:31Rivera always surprises me with how he brings together apparently...
0:43:33 > 0:43:36..unlinked things and people and objects.
0:43:36 > 0:43:43Here, we see sea life and just above that, an engineers' table,
0:43:43 > 0:43:48scientists working out how they're going to provide water for the
0:43:48 > 0:43:51millions of people in Mexico City.
0:44:01 > 0:44:06We see the deity, the pre-Hispanic deity of water.
0:44:06 > 0:44:07We also see the workers.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13The men and women who helped build these amazing structures.
0:44:16 > 0:44:21Rivera's water tank is a secular hymn to the glory of human endeavour.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25He's asking us to celebrate the labour of these workers
0:44:25 > 0:44:28whose hard graft and knowledge brought water to the capital.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34He draws on the iconography of religion to add history and scale to
0:44:34 > 0:44:39his work. But for him, it's the people and not gods that realise the
0:44:39 > 0:44:41wonders of modern Mexico.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47The once immense power of the Catholic Church diminished
0:44:47 > 0:44:50throughout the 20th century.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54However, Mexico is still deeply devout and religious imagery remains
0:44:54 > 0:44:55ever present.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01There's one popular art form in Mexico that allows an individual
0:45:01 > 0:45:04to combine devotion, gratitude and narrative into a
0:45:04 > 0:45:07deeply personal expression of faith.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10An art form that begins with a desire to give thanks.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18This place is called The Corner Of Miracles because a man
0:45:18 > 0:45:23witnessed a car crash near his house and wanted to offer thanks for the lives saved.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30The thanks he offered was in the form of a painting that has long
0:45:30 > 0:45:33been the preserve of the poor, often rural population.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39What he painted is called an ex-voto, a traditional offering of
0:45:39 > 0:45:44gratitude dedicated to one of the many Catholic saints venerated in Mexico.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50The painter is Alfredo Vilchis and still every day, he paints for
0:45:50 > 0:45:52those wanting to give thanks.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22Sure.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55At the heart of ex-voto painting is a combination of a shared ritual
0:48:55 > 0:48:58tradition alongside intimate struggles.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04The sincerity, vibrancy and freedom of this art spoke
0:49:04 > 0:49:06to a generation of modern artists.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12They also saw an opportunity to reject the rigid formality of
0:49:12 > 0:49:18religious painting by embracing the naive style of ex-voto's.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22One artist whose work incorporated the confessional and symbolic nature
0:49:22 > 0:49:27of ex-voto was one of the most celebrated in the world - Frida Kahlo.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46Much of Frida Kahlo's life was spent suffering from the complications of
0:49:46 > 0:49:49a near fatal and crippling pelvic injury,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52as well as the after effects of childhood polio.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Through sublimation,
0:49:57 > 0:50:02her suffering became art with a deeply spiritual dimension.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Her house is now a museum to her life and work,
0:50:05 > 0:50:10including some of her 2,000 strong collection of ex-voto paintings.
0:50:11 > 0:50:18At the time, the church didn't value these objects as sacred art
0:50:18 > 0:50:24or even as art at all, and she imbued them with value because she
0:50:24 > 0:50:29saw the human story behind the image and she not only empathised
0:50:29 > 0:50:32with them, but she really related to them.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37It's really important to remember that she was surrounded by these
0:50:37 > 0:50:39works when she was making her own.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42And she also had a need to express.
0:50:42 > 0:50:48The ex-voto is really born out of a need for someone to express
0:50:48 > 0:50:49their gratitude.
0:50:49 > 0:50:55So it's no wonder, really, that she had such a strong relation to them.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00It takes a lot of courage to remember and commission...
0:51:02 > 0:51:07..a traumatic incident such as an accident or an illness and have the
0:51:07 > 0:51:11humility to thank the saint or the virgin.
0:51:11 > 0:51:17There's a huge sense of not forgetting within an ex-voto,
0:51:17 > 0:51:23of having that constant reminder that you went through this crisis.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Frida was in that situation.
0:51:27 > 0:51:32She was physically very, very hurt after her accident and this was a
0:51:32 > 0:51:35constant source of physical pain.
0:51:35 > 0:51:42Her relationship with Diego Rivera is famously a painful one,
0:51:42 > 0:51:48so all of these emotional and physical traumas were expressed in a
0:51:48 > 0:51:53very courageous way, I believe, for I feel a great courage behind them.
0:52:01 > 0:52:06At the Delores Olmeda Museum in Mexico City, there are two works of
0:52:06 > 0:52:09Frida's in particular, that show how the motifs of
0:52:09 > 0:52:14ex-voto paintings enabled her to portray her suffering at a time of
0:52:14 > 0:52:16inconsolable loss and pain.
0:52:17 > 0:52:22Monica, can you tell me about her painting the Henry Ford Hospital?
0:52:22 > 0:52:25It was a painting made in 1932.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30It was made while Frida Kahlo was joining Diego Rivera
0:52:30 > 0:52:33in Detroit while he was painting some murals.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37And she had a miscarriage, so that was really,
0:52:37 > 0:52:39really a strong experience for her.
0:52:39 > 0:52:44She drew herself in the painting sort of right in the moment
0:52:44 > 0:52:46where she was having the miscarriage.
0:52:46 > 0:52:51So she also drew six little umbilical cords coming out of her
0:52:51 > 0:52:56that depicted some elements that talk about the strong experience
0:52:56 > 0:52:57that she was going through.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Following the ex-voto tradition,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Henry Ford Hospital was painted on tin.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10Frida fills the frame with religious references.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14She suffers like the holy mother from the death of her son.
0:53:14 > 0:53:20On the floor beside her bed is an orchid, an ancient symbol of fertility.
0:53:20 > 0:53:25Above, a snail, an Aztec symbol of birth and rebirth.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29But she breaks with ex-voto tradition in offering
0:53:29 > 0:53:31no thanks to the divine.
0:53:31 > 0:53:36For me, the most interesting thing about the painting is what is not
0:53:36 > 0:53:38there, actually.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41One would expect a virgin or a saint to be in a place
0:53:41 > 0:53:46where it is actually blank, so I think it's really a moment
0:53:46 > 0:53:51where she takes a position that she was going to use the ex-votos as an
0:53:51 > 0:53:56inspiration but put a lot of herself in there.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04As well as a physical torment in her life, Frida also suffered
0:54:04 > 0:54:08emotionally throughout her marriage to Diego Rivera.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12When his philandering was at its worst, she expressed her anguish
0:54:12 > 0:54:15with bitter irony in the form of ex-votos.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24She's talking about a man that stabbed her wife because she was being unfaithful.
0:54:24 > 0:54:29She read about this crime that this man committed and she sort
0:54:29 > 0:54:33of related to it because Diego Rivera was cheating
0:54:33 > 0:54:35on her with her sister.
0:54:35 > 0:54:40You can see the blood also coming out in the frame.
0:54:40 > 0:54:45So I think that was also what fascinated Frida Kahlo
0:54:45 > 0:54:49about the religious painting, that reality and non-reality
0:54:49 > 0:54:53was always really just getting along in the same space.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Frida was a Communist, suspicious of the church.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04But her work was deeply spiritual.
0:55:06 > 0:55:11The iconography of both Christianity and indigenous belief took root in
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Frida's secular world.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19But where others looked without, towards a divine, she looked within,
0:55:19 > 0:55:21finding solace in her art.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27This spiritual dimension still permeates Mexican art.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32Today, the power of Mexico's unique religious iconography remains a rich
0:55:32 > 0:55:34source of metaphor.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37It can now be used to ask challenging questions about the
0:55:37 > 0:55:42nature of worship, how we value belief in a global consumer culture
0:55:42 > 0:55:46and how we place the frivolous on equal footing with the divine.
0:55:49 > 0:55:54Religious kitsch and pop icons have been fused together by one of the
0:55:54 > 0:55:59most distinctive voices in Mexican contemporary art, Dr Lacra.
0:56:02 > 0:56:07My intention was to create, like, a religious object that you can
0:56:07 > 0:56:13worship and I also think that many of the toys or pop iconography
0:56:13 > 0:56:18I'm using, in a way is also full with ideology and with religious.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21I think pop is a religion, in a way.
0:56:21 > 0:56:27- Yeah.- I think the mythology is always, in a way, connected to religion.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32The way they are assembled together, they
0:56:32 > 0:56:35refer a little bit of totem poles...
0:56:35 > 0:56:41- Yeah.- ..and the tree of life or amulets.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52I'm not religious, I...
0:56:53 > 0:56:58I think that's one of the reasons that I can make these
0:56:58 > 0:57:03and make fun of many, like, figures and play freely with these.
0:57:07 > 0:57:12Not so long ago, this man from Thailand came and he was shocked to see,
0:57:12 > 0:57:19like, the Buddha with the ET head or some people make really weird
0:57:19 > 0:57:24questions about, why did you use the image of Jesus Christ in that way?
0:57:24 > 0:57:27In a way, some people think it's disrespectful.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32But I think to get the things of each religion that you like and then
0:57:32 > 0:57:36make a new philosophy or new religion or...
0:57:36 > 0:57:39Just play with that iconography.
0:57:43 > 0:57:49Dr Lacra's playful take on worship harks back to Mexico's unique
0:57:49 > 0:57:51mixture of Christian and indigenous belief.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57There always has been and always will be a deep communion between art
0:57:57 > 0:57:58and religion in Mexico.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03Throughout its history, artists have brought Gods to life
0:58:03 > 0:58:09and connected us personally with the divine because, for me,
0:58:09 > 0:58:14it's art that satisfies our need for images to make faith tangible.