To represent a scene of religious practice in Virginia, Arnoldus Montanus in his work "America" based his work from a 1622 Spanish book about Mexico, Descripcion de las Indias Occidentales, by Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas. The artist then transformed the Mexican god into a large idol and placed it in a room based on a Mexican temple. The scene falsely presented native Virginia with an almost identical culture as in Mexico.