“Ruinas de la Piràmide de Xochicalco”
Today’s piece is by a German engineer and draftsman who documented his travels through Mexico in the early nineteenth century via art.
This watercolor on paper illustration is by the German artist and draughtsman, Carl Nebel, and is titled “Ruinas de la Piràmide de Xochicalco” from the book Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la partie la plus intéressante du Méxique (‘Picturesque and Archaeological Voyage over the Most Intriguing Part of the Mexican Republic’) which was published in 1836.
“Ruinas de la Piràmide de Xochicalco” depicts the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpents located in the prehistoric Mesoamerican city of Xochicalco. This site is an archaeologist’s dream, in which the ruins are well-preserved and can be visited today. On the Pyramid are representations of the feathered serpent deity, Quetzalcoatl of Teotihuacan, which is visible in Nebel’s portrayal.
Xochicalco is located in the Mexican state of Morelos, just south of Mexico City. Xochicalco was first occupied around 200 BC. By 600 AD following the breakup of many of the neighboring Mesoamerican sites that thrived during the Classic Period, Xochicalco became an urban center in its own right in what is referred to as the Epiclassic Period. This city remained an important fortified religious and political center until around 900 AD when it was sacked and burned down. Today, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Between 1829 and 1834, Nebel traveled across Mexico recording the ancient ruins that were located across the countryside. He was one of the first artists to do so. Nebel created over 50 paintings as illustrations for this book.
The lithographs were hand-colored by the lithographer, Rose-Joseph Lemercierfor, the publication. The techniques that Lemercierfor used to convert Nebel’s original watercolor paintings into lithographs were the top of the line at the time. The resulting effect created an image that looked more like a painting than a lithograph.
The original “Ruinas de la Piràmide de Xochicalco” painting is currently in a private collection.
For more on Carl Nebel, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
