Brief Biography-Cristóbal de Villalpando was born in Mexico City in 1645. He was a painter whose style was broadly considered Baroque. Echave Rioja, son of Baltasar de Echave Orio, and Peter Paul Rubens, influenced his works. He accepted numerous contracts for churches in Mexico and became director of a painters’ Guild in the Capital. His most famous work is in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, The Apparition of Saint Michael on Mount Gargano; he included a portrait of himself staring out at the viewer. His paintings were mainly of religious subjects; however, he also enjoyed success as a portraitist.