Body Ornament and Color in Mural Painting

     The Teotihuacan culture typically used bright colors. The most common colors are red, blue, green, and yellow. There is also some use of black and white. The colors are thought to represent various important aspects of the Teotihuacan society.  For example, green was to signify water and/or unripe maize- two very important resources that sustained life in Teotihuacan. Red was usually a representation of blood. Human sacrifice was prevalent in religious ceremonies and religion was the basis of most ancient Mesoamerican culture. Not only did the blood, represent sacrifice but also eternal life and life itself, since blood was the substance for life and sacrifice was a tool of the Teotihuacan to ensure survival.

      Iron compounds for the production of color were easily accessible in the Mexican highlands. They used minerals such as hematite, calcite, and limonite. The Teotihuacan used a fresco technique, coating a thin-plaster surface with clay and applying pigment while the clay was still wet. The figures were drawn on with obsidian blades, thorns, or thin sticks of coal.

                                                                Tepantitla Mural 

Mural from the Tepantitla compound showing what has been identified as an aspect of the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan, from a reproduction in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Murals typically decorated the walls of  homes of those in high status. This Tepantitla Mural in particular, depicts 2 elaborately dressed priests in a religious procession. They are facing a goddess, who is sitting in front of a flowering tree. The goddess is usually identified as the” Great Goddess” but it is not entirely clear exactly which goddess she may be. Speculations are that she is the vegetation and fertility goddess or Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god. Her yellow color and bird headdress helps differentiate her from other gods of the culture. 

We can see that the priests are also wearing very similar headdresses along with necklaces, bracelets, and ear flares that are also green.  One of the many materials used for jewelry in the Teotihuacán culture was jade. We can interpret the jewelry as jade or we can relate it to the overall theme. Green seems to outline most of the painting, reinforcing the fruitful, vegetative idea of the mural.
Red tended to dominate the color scheme of Teotihuacan paintings. They used varying tones, which could be obtained by controlling and altering the heating of hematite, which they used for producing red pigment. Moderate heat makes the coloring agent in hematite brown-red while stronger heat makes it bright red.
Paintings of the Classic Period are identified by red backgrounds. We can infer that this Tepantitla mural if from this period. Usually the most outstanding shade of red was used for the background., making the figures stand out more. We can see in this painting an example of that. The hematite in the color gave the mural a sparkling effect, giving the painting an overall more dramatic and elaborate look.

Most murals have vey vivid color with careful outlined patterns. Though the tonal range is close, because there is minimum use of white and black the other colors are still distinguishable. Along with red we can see green, yellow, and possibly some blue. Red is the most prominent color, with green next. The yellow pigment seems to stand out the most, perhaps emphasizing the divinity of the goddess. This painting seems to have complimentary coloring. The pigment is also highly saturated and vivid, a typical characteristic of Teotihuacan painting. The patterned use of the color is symmetrical. This is demonstrated in the priests on either side.

Tetitla Teotihuacan Great Goddess Mural

In this mural, the color scheme is the same at the Tepantitla Mural. It also depicts the “Great Goddess”, but this time there is a human-like face that is painted green. We can still assume that she is more than likely not human from her fang-like teeth and her striking similarities to the Tepantitla Mural.  Vegetation appears to grow from her head and water is flowing from her hands like that of the Tepantitla Mural goddess. She wears a similar green-feathered headdress with a bird figure and her hands are yellow, referencing again, to the Great Goddess. The bird on the headdress is thought to be an owl or the Quetzal, a colorful bird found in the area. This could account for the green feathering and red outline of the bird in the mural. Also similar to the first example, is the pattern and symmetry in color. 

The color scheme appears the same, with the deepest red as the background. This makes it also from the Classic Period. The color scheme also contains yellows and greens with shades of blue that seem to be more noticeable than in the Tepantitla example.

Different from the Tepantitla painting, she is wearing a prominent nosepiece, which was a very common body ornament for the Teotihuacán.  She is also; like the first painting, covered in green jewelry (bracelets, ear flares, and necklaces). Her robe is very elaborate and colorful as well.

We can see how significant adornment was for the Teotihuacan culture through their mural painting. Ceremonial headdress identifies religious ritual and important figures, including the gods themselves. While more typical jewelry is also illustrated plentifully in paintings, bringing to light specific identifiable aspects of the culture in depiction.