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Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan, Mexico
Mural Fragment Representing a Ritual of World RenewalA.D. 500/600
Lime plaster with mineral pigment
63.8 x 95 cm (25 x 37.5 in.)
African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund, 1962.702
The ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan was once the largest city in all of the Americas. The pomp and color of this great city were expressed most distinctively through its monumental architecture. Facades of pyramids and interiors of palaces, temples, and homes were frequently decorated with splendid frescoes. The fragment shown here was part of a cycle painted on the interior walls of an aristocratic palace. It shows a rain priest walking or dancing in profile and wearing an elaborate headdress and costume. His speech-scroll, adorned with seashells and plants, indicates that he is praying for water and agricultural prosperity, which were highly valued in his society.