Con Cariño, Lydia Mendoza

This work is a dedicatory portrait of Tejano musician Lydia Mendoza (1916–2007). As an homage honoring their deep personal friendship, Hernandez rendered Mendoza as a young musician in her performance China Poblana costume. Mendoza often sewed elements of her outfit by hand including an embroidered blouse, sequined skirt,petticoat, and rebozo (shawl). While the costume’s origins range from mythic references to colonial Asian servants from the Mexican state of Puebla, the outfit has been a definable symbol of Mexican identity for ranchera musicians such as Mendoza. Hernandez positions the musician as a Mexican icon by placing a seal with an eagle in the scene’s backdrop, recalling its ancient sacred meaning and its modern presence in the Mexican national flag.