Exploring
Colonial Mexico©Exploring
Colonial Mexico©
Battling Satan at Izamal Among the many early murals uncovered at the great 16th century monastery of Izamal, the scenes on the walls of the convento entrance have been the most problematic, both in restoration and interpretation.
On a recent visit to Izamal, Robert Jackson, the noted scholar of colonial missions in Spanish America, restudied the murals and offers the following analysis:
"These murals are similar to the Xoxoteco chapel murals and the Actopan open chapel murals, in that one goal of the missionaries was to convince the natives to abandon their old religion. They were used for propaganda purposes, and reflected the Catholic belief at the time that Satan and his demonic minions were real. The key to understanding the Izamal murals is the trees in the background. Unlike the Xoxoteco and Actopan murals which depict hell, the Izamal murals depict the Yucatan
The South Wall
The panel above depicts the demons that ruled the land before the arrival of the Spanish, which reflected the Spanish belief that pre-Hispanic religion was influenced by or was a product of Satanic influence. The mural depicts the demons mistreating the natives, which, of course, in their own minds the Spanish and the missionaries did not do."
1. North wall mural depicting the arrival of the Franciscan missionaries in the Yucatàn to initiate the evangelization of the natives. A Maya native observes the missionaries from behind a tree. .
2. The North and east wall murals depicting the arrival of the Franciscans. The arrival of the Franciscans is juxtaposed against the demons depicted terrorizing the Maya natives on the South wall .
3. Detail of the north wall mural depicting the Maya native hiding behind the tree observing the Franciscan missionaries. 
4. North wall mural detail showing that the Maya native, who had been hiding behind the tree, had come out to join the Franciscans. .
5. Detail of the north wall mural
showing the Maya native standing close to a Franciscan missionary.
6. Detail of the east wall mural depicting the Franciscan missionaries pointing to an image of the Virgin of Izamal above the archway 7. The entire east wall mural depicts the Franciscans receiving divine support of their mission to the Yucatàn.
