Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin

Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin was born in Santa María Tlacatecpac de San Bernardino Contla, Tlaxcala in 1922.

[4] Before his death, he planned along with his daughter Citlalli to form a foundation named after him, with the aim of preserving his work and authenticate his artistic production.

[2] The project to create a mural that tells the history of Tlaxcala was promoted to the state by poet Miguel N. Lira and preparation work was begun in 1957.

[4][6] The work shows influence from Rivera's mural at the National Palace, but Hernández Xochitiotzin did not paint the original Tlaxcalans as traitors for their role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire .

[7] However, the mural work has been damaged due to the effects of humidity and time, with several sections visibly affected.

These include El señor de los tlaxcaltecas, Ritual en honor al Dios Camaxtli, Sacrificio gladiatorio, del general Tlahuicole en Tenochtitlan and Deidad Tlaxcalteca, with the most severe damage at the main entrance to the building.

[4] The research he did to prepare murals led him to become an expert on the history and culture of Tlaxcala, becoming a teacher and speaker at conferences.

[2] Recurrent themes in his work include history, landscapes, festivals, local customs, religion and rural life.