Johann Moritz Rugendas (1802–1858), Germany
View of the Valley of Mexico with Volcanoes and the Texcoco Lake, ca. 1833
Oil on canvas
Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
After arriving in the port of Veracruz in 1831, Johann Moritz Rugendas settled in Mexico City. During his several years in the Mexican capital, Rugendas made hundreds of oil sketches of the area, which he then used as reference for large-scale paintings intended to be sold in Europe. The artist took great care to document native plants, such as enormous sisals and nopals, and to describe the dress of local people with meticulous accuracy for his European audience.