Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin
| Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 11, 1922 San Bernardino Contla, Tlaxcala |
| Died | September 14, 2007 (aged 85) Tlaxcala |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Occupation | Muralist |
Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin (born San Bernardino Contla, February 11, 1922 – died Tlaxcala, September 14, 2007) was a Mexican artist best known for his large-scale mural work inside the State Government Palace in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, the last large scale mural of the Mexican muralism movement.
Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin was born in Santa María Tlacatecpac de San Bernardino Contla, Tlaxcala in 1922. His artistic training began in his family’s handcraft shop and then at the Academia de Bellas Artes de Puebla. After traveling in various parts of Mexico and Europe to live and work, he returned permanently in Tlaxcala in 1957. The rest of his career was dedicated to painting the history and culture of his home state.
He died of respiratory failure on September 14, 2007. Before his death, he planned along with his daughter Citlalli to form a foundation named after him, with the aim of preserving his work and authenticate his artistic production. His daughter currently heads the organization whose activities include social and cultural events and research about the painter. The foundation sponsored an exhibit of his work in the United States in 2011.
Hernández Xochitiotzin’s most important work was the creation of the mural “La historia de Tlaxcala y su contribución a lo mexicano” (The history of Tlaxcala and its contribution to Mexican identity) inside the State Government Palace of Tlaxcala. The project to create a mural that tells the history of Tlaxcala was promoted to the state by poet Miguel N. Lira and preparation work was begun in 1957. The first section, “La Conquista” was painted between 1967 and 1968, with work continuing in stages over four decades. The work shows influence from Rivera’s mural at the National Palace, but Hernández Xochitiotzin did not paint the original Tlaxcalans as traitors for their role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire . The entire mural covers over 500 meters squared and is the last grand-scale mural to be created as part of the Mexican muralism movement. However, the work was never fully completed before his death in 2007. Before this time, Hernández Xochitiotzin’s asked state authorities to allow his son, Cuauhtlatohuac H. Xochitiotzin to continue the work on the mural but the state never responded.
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