The art style associated with the central Mexican city of Teotihuacan (Teotihuacán) is one of the great traditions of ancient Mesoamerica. Nature, fertility, sacrifice, and war were the primary artistic themes, which were eloquently expressed in mural painting, on stone masks, and in painted scenes on ceramic vessels.

The encounter between Alexander the Great and the relatives of his defeated foe was described in detail by the first century historian, Quintus Curtius. According to Curtius, after Alexander's triumph over the Persian Emperor Darius II at the Battle of Issus, the emperor's wife, mother, and daughters were held captive. When the fighting ceased, Alexander visited the women's tent accompanied by his closest friend Hephaestion.