Oiseaux de Proie

Diego Rivera, like many other artists working after the Mexican Revolution (1910–20), engaged with the nationalist political ideology known as indigenismo, which emphasized Mexico’s Indigenous roots in an attempt to unify the state and foster a cohesive and hybrid national identity.

Copalli takes its name from the Nahuatl (an Indigenous language) and Spanish words for copal, the aromatic tree resin employed for centuries in Mesoamerica as incense. Considered the “blood” of trees, copal was also used as a binder for pigments in ancient mural painting. Beginning in the 1920s, the Mexican government embraced muralism as a tool to widely convey social and political themes. By highlighting muralism’s Indigenous origins through the image of two copal trees, Rivera connected this art form to a specifically “Mexican” artistic tradition.