The Meeting of Cortés and Moctezuma

What it is

This oil painting, made by unknown artists in Mexico during the second half of the seventeenth century, is part of a series called Conquest of Mexico. It depicts the meeting of Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma, and is held in the Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress.

Why it matters

Painted well over a century after the event, this image reflects how later colonial-era artists imagined the famous encounter between the Spanish conquistador and the Aztec ruler. It reveals how this meeting became a symbolic moment in the story of conquest, with elaborate costumes and ceremony emphasizing the drama of two worlds coming together.

Look closer

• What details show the status of Moctezuma and his nobles compared to the Spanish soldiers?
• Why might the artist have included the kneeling figure laying down a cloth?
• How does this painting compare to what you imagine the real event might have looked like?