The Valley of Oaxaca

José María Velasco (1840-1912) was a Mexican artist and scientist celebrated for painting his home country’s beautiful landscape. His paintings were exhibited all over the world, where they won several awards and helped spread appreciation for Mexico’s natural features. He is still considered one of the most important painters in Mexican history.

The landscapes in Velasco’s paintings often feature long-distance views from high-up viewpoints. The landscape unfolds in the foreground and middle regions, while mountains dominate the background. The Valley of Oaxaca, one of several paintings Velasco made of this subject, depicts an archaeologically-important region of southern Mexican. The area was once home to the Zapotec, Mixtec, and Aztec cultures at various times in Pre-Columbian history. Although Velasco frequently included ruins in his works, they aren’t the subject of this particular picture. Instead, this work shows an aerial view of a town in nineteenth-century Oaxaca, along with scattered vegetation, a winding river, and lots of open land. Velasco’s detailed depiction of natural features reflects his great knowledge about the natural world. He was as accomplished a scientist as he was an artist. He was also quite a religious man, as is indicated by the element that stands out most in the painting’s foreground—a simple, wooden cross.
- Alexandra Kiely