A Stylistic Analysis of the Cacaxtla Murals

Resumen

This paper is a discussion of the nature of the style of the recently discovered Pre-Columbian murals at the site of Cacaxtla in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Descriptions of these murals have been published by members of the Proyecto Mexicano-Aleman which has carried extensive research in the Puebla and Tlaxcala regions (see for example D. Molina and D. Molina, 1977; M. Molina, 1978; Schmidt 1976) . This discussion will center upon an examination of the general style of the murals - this includes the overall structure of the representations, the nature of the portrayal of depth, the manner of creation of form and general spatial composition. This analysis of style, as well as a brief description of the iconography will permit a comparison of the Cacaxtla paintings with other Pre-Columbian murals from the Maya and Mexican areas. This in turn will allow for examination of stylistic affinities between these Highland Mexican works and known Pre-Columbian artistic areas, and a determination of the probable stylistic source for these murals.