Following the decade-long Mexican Revolution, which profoundly reshaped the nation’s identity, muralism became an educational and ideological tool. Public spaces were transformed into visual narratives to forge a shared national identity rooted in Indigenous heritage and modern ideals.
Occult Movements and Mexican Mural Art, led by Mariano Villalba, Postdoctoral Fellow, Arts and Spirituality, at the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR), brings renewed attention to the underrecognized contributions of early 20th-century female artists such as María Cenobia Izquierdo (1902-1955), Cordelia Urueta (1908–1995), and Sofía Bassi (1913–1998). Rising to fleeting prominence, these women created works that blend esoteric symbolism, psychological depth, and critical engagement with modern life’s spiritual and gendered dimensions.
We sat down with Villalba to discuss his project.
What is the focus of your research at the CSWR?
I’m working on a project about Mexican mural art of the ’20s and ’30s and esotericism, focusing on several lesser-known women artists of that period [who are] are well-known in Mexico, but not widely recognized outside of it. I’m studying the esoteric influences on these artists who are now being reevaluated and reassessed within the canon of modern art. Their engagement with esoteric ideas is finally being taken seriously, and I think this can help us reconsider the vital roles they played in shaping modern art history.
So, your research is launching a rediscovery of their artistic work?
Exactly. Even though these women had a good reputation and were recognized during their time, they ended up marginalized. The reasons are complex, but I believe gender and esotericism both played a part. They were marginalized because they were women, but also because they explored spiritual themes. This spiritual abstraction didn’t fit within the epic and often overtly political tone of the dominant muralist movement, which was overwhelmingly male and focused on revolutionary class struggles.
How are women artists connected to Mexico’s muralist traditions?
Mexican muralist tradition was part of an educational project aimed at creating a national consciousness. Art was a part of that. Most Mexican artists at that time were concerned with Mexican identity. María Izquierdo [for example] was a feminist activist, very active in the feminist cause nationally in Mexico and internationally, and was the first woman in Mexico to have been commissioned by the government to paint a mural.
How do you think your work intersects within the framework of the CSWR?
The CSWR focuses on exploring spirituality and access to higher knowledge. These artists used art to access and express other planes of existence. María Izquierdo claimed to receive influences from spiritual entities. Cordelia Urueta was interested in past lives, and Sofía Bassi saw her art as alchemy. Studying these artists contributes to this topic of transformation, where art becomes a means of self-transformation and transcending nationalist narratives about the development of modern art.
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