Cuernavaca

Max Pollak

In the early 1940s the Pollaks traveled throughout Mexico and Latin America where Max recorded the everyday life of the residents and the architecture and landscapes of the regions, often using his favorite medium, etching and aquatint, the color for which he generally applied 'a la poupée.'

This image features the Mexican city of Cuernavaca, the largest city in the state of Morelos, south of Mexico City. His viewpoint is from a hill, looking down across streets and rooftops to the Iglesia de Tepetates, located at the end of the Calle de Tepetates. A dark storm forms in the background and rain begins to fall while people on the street in the foreground go about their activities. The size of the figures gives the viewer a sense of the scale of the composition. The Church of Tepetates, built in the 16th century at the time of the conquest of Cuauhnáhuac, was named after the type of soil found in the area.

It is located in the old district of Tecoac, which was one of the five neighborhoods that made up the center of the City of Cuernavaca. For years it was the symbol of the city due to its picturesque façade flanked by two cypresses. This temple is designed in neoclassic style, dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth. The church has a small atrium, an open chapel, and a nave in addition to two bells that date from 1791. Fr. William Wasson founded the orphanage Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos here in 1954. It is believed the church was built upon a teocalli (Prehispanic temple).