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Versace Intimo Ad Campaign • Circa 1990’s • Bruce Weber
How the bold graphics used in Gianni Versace’s Spring 1992 menswear collection resembled the xicalcoliuhqui designs carved into stone at the Mitla ruins, a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Oaxaca, Mexico… Mitla is unique among Mesoamerican sites because of its elaborate and intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, friezes, and even entire walls of the complex. These geometric patterns are made with small, finely cut stone pieces that have been fitted together without the use of mortar… Though Versace’s prints may have been a modernized amalgamation of traditional Grecian meandros, the intricate ornamentation of the Baroque style, bold Art Deco geometrics and the aesthetics of the 20th Century’s OpArt movement, the archaeological site suggests that in fact, old is new and new is old…
Ruins at Mitla • March 15, 1903 • Image courtesy of the Brittingham Family Lantern Slide Collection via the University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives Collections
Similar to the convergence of artistic disciplines found in Versace’s prints, the Mitla ruins are also the product of syncretism. Established as a sacred burial site by the Zapotec as early as 900 B.C.E., Milta then became the main religious center under the control of the Mixtec. In the 16th century the Spaniards built over the foundations of its destroyed temples, using many of the cut bricks from the original city to build a cathedral, thus making the final rendition an aesthetic reflection of all three cultures. Derived from the Nahuatl name Mictlán and later transliterated to Mitla by the Spanish colonists, the "Place of the Dead" or "Underworld” was built as a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead. These concepts were reflected in its xicalcoliuhqui ("twisted gourd" in Nahuatl) stone designs. The motif is thought to depict water, waves, clouds, lightning, and more specifically, the pan-regional sky serpent deity, Quetzalcoatl. As the American photographer Edward Weston once said about capturing the Pre-Hispanic Ruins in 1926… “I was fascinated by the stone mosaics of Mitla, for besides a variation on the Greek fret, there was a unique pattern, -oblique lines of dynamic force, -flashes of stone lightning, which remain my strongest memory of Mitla.”
A group posing in a small chamber within the Mitla ruins • Circa Late 19th Century - Early 20th Century • G. Massiot & Cie • Image courtesy of the Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Dibujos de Mosaico • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
Model captured wearing a jacket featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Mitla XIV, Serie Mitla • 2007 • Tomás Casademunt • Image courtesy of Artsy
Model captured wearing garments featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Thomas Brittingham posing in the Mitla Ruins • March 15, 1903 • Image courtesy of the Brittingham Family Lantern Slide Collection via the University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives Collections
Detail of Stone Frieze, Ruins of Mitla, Oaxaca • 1926 • Edward Weston
A Spanish family that came to the centenary festivities on the ship Alfonso XII of the Spanish Navy, visiting the Mitla ruins • Circa Early 1900’s • Image courtesy of Mexico en Fotos
A plate depicting illustrations of various Dibujos de Mosaico • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
Model captured wearing denim trousers featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Mitla • Gelatin silver prints and postcards, mounted to paperboard • 1956 • Josef Albers • Image courtesy of The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Bethany
Blazer featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Versace Jeans Couture Ad Campaign • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection
Mitla • 1925 • Edward Weston • Image courtesy of Throckmorton Fine Art, New York City
Detail of a silk shirt featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace
Child inside a cruciform tomb in the Ruins of Guiaroo, Oaxaca • Circa 1925 • Hugo Brehme
Muestras de Mosaico • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
Model captured wearing a silk shirt featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork and terracotta masks • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Ruinas de Mitla • Gelatin silver prints and postcards, mounted to paperboard • 1956 • Josef Albers • Image courtesy of The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Bethany
Model captured wearing a leather jacket featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Fragmento de decoración de las Ruinas de Mitla, Oaxaca (Decorative Fragment, Mitla Ruins, Oaxaca) • Circa 1926 • Manuel Álvarez Bravo • Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Exploraciones en Mitla Tumba 5 • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
Model captured wearing a denim jacket featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Ruinas de Mitla • Circa 1920’s • Hugo Brehme • Image courtesy of Throckmorton Fine Art, New York City
Versace Jeans Couture Ad Campaign • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Bruce Weber
Grecques in Interior of Room at Mitla & Head in Terra Cotta. - Mitla • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
Models captured wearing under garments featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork and terracotta masks • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Ruinas de Mitla • Circa 1920’s • Hugo Brehme • Image courtesy of Throckmorton Fine Art, New York City
Model captured wearing a silk shirt featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Silk shirt featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace
Façade of Mitla Ruins • 1914 • Waite, C. B.. • Image courtesy of Period Paper
Model captured wearing a jacket featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Denim trousers featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Ruines de Mitla Dans La Province d' Oaxaca • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Models captured wearing garments featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
Section and Perspective of the West Chamber of the Grecques • Circa 1900 • Image courtesy of Las Ruinas de Mitla y la Arquitectura by Manuel Francisco Alvarez
Model captured wearing a silk shirt featuring geometric patterns reminiscent of ancient fretwork • Spring / Summer 1992 Collection • Gianni Versace • Image courtesy of the Versace Collezione Uomo Primavera Estate 1992 Catalogue
A detailed portrait of the intricate fretwork and geometric designs covering the walls and tombs of the Mitla ruins • The site was first inhabited beginning in at least The Common Era ((100-650 C.E.) • Mitla Archaeological Site • Oaxaca, Mexico
Models walk the show finale in printed denim from Gianni Versace’s Spring / Summer 1992 menswear collection • Image courtesy of Donato Sardella via WWD
