Embroidered for the church, vestments were among the most resplendent art forms of eighteenth-century Mexico. Meant to imbue Christ’s vicars with special meaning, these garments were created as sets in guild workshops led by master craftsmen, as well as by nuns in conventual settings. The quality of the embroidery, alongside the abundant use of silk and gold, reveals the enormous resources invested in their production. Constructed with an aesthetic and design program that came from Europe, and employing silk and gold and silver threads imported from China and Spain, these elaborate religious vestments embody the intersection of cultures made possible by global trade networks.

• Katzew, Ilona, ed. Archive of the World: Art and Imagination in Spanish America, 1500–1800: Highlights from LACMA’s Collection. Exh. Cat. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books/D.A.P., 2022.
• Rishel, Joseph J., and Suzanne L. Stratton, eds. The Arts in Latin America, 1492-1820. Exh. Cat. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art; Mexico City: Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso; and Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2006.