Panel 13. Cortez and the Cross - The Epic of American Civilization 1934

"Panel 13. Cortez and the Cross - The Epic of American Civilization" is a 1934 fresco by Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco. The dramatic work depicts a violent scene of conquest and subjugation. Cortez, a Spanish conquistador, stands over a group of indigenous figures, a stark contrast between the power of the colonizers and the suffering of the colonized. The looming cross in the background signifies the imposition of Christianity and Western culture. Orozco's powerful imagery and monumental scale continue to provoke discussion about the complex history of colonialism in the Americas.