A Tower of Cortez, Mexico
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Bequest of Ruth B. Moran
Accession Number
1948-71-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Thomas Moran, the renowned American landscape painter born in Britain (18371926), captured the majestic "A Tower of Cortez," in 1883. A key figure in the Hudson River, Moran was celebrated for his luminous depictions of the American West, but this work reflects his adventurous travels abroad. That year, he journeyed to Mexico, sketching historic sites amid the country's colonial legacy, blending Romanticism with precise observation to evoke a sense of timeless grandeur. The title refers to a tower linked to Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who toppled the Aztec Empire in the 1520s. Cla...