Although we have very few details about this painter of religious works, we do know he was born in the 1700's. It has been speculated that Mena was a Creole due to the era in which he was born and his style of painting. Luis de Mena's works were primarily "casta" and included signs of daily life such as fruits, shells, etc. He was a contemporary of Miguel Cabrera, also a painter of caste or genre scenes and perhaps was influenced by him. The painting below, on display in Madrid, Spain, at the Museo de America is unusual in that it features the Virgin of Guadalupe.
*casta refers to racial hierarchy classification...used primarily to socially rank those of mixed racial marriage.
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