Skull Art - Spanish Invasion

Spanish Invasion

When the Spanish invaded and conquered Tenochtitlan in the sixteenth century, they brought with them not only the official Catholic religion, but also some of the more popular folk-religious practices of the era. This included the pagan tradition of celebrating the dead with food-offerings and feasts. However, the Spanish priests were eager to discontinue these ancient traditions that found fertile ground in Mexico. The Spanish suppressed the Mexican skull art tradition because it was too Indito or pagan for their refined European tastes. Not until Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, did skull art begin to re-emerge as a symbol of Mexicanidad.