Kitchen Maid with the Supper at Emmaus by Diego Velazquez

In 1492, three events change the course of Spanish history: 
•    The Moors are driven out of Spain, as the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile are united. 
•    Columbus, guided in part by an astrolabe (a Moorish invention) sails to the West Indies.
•    The first Inquisitor General of the Spanish Inquisition persuades the Spanish monarchs to expel all Jews from Spain. Rather than leave, many convert to Christianity, and the numbers of the conversos include such saints as St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross, along with Diego Laínez, the second general of the Jesuit order.

In 1547, laws of limpieza, laws that prohibit conversos from holding church offices, are enacted throughout Spain.

In 1571, the Muslim Turks are prevented from conquering Europe by their defeat at the battle of Lepanto. Spaniards, on victor’s side, consider the Muslim Moors to be  "lazy, lubricious, and figuratively subhuman.” (See: Journey with Jesus - the Eucharist at Emmaus)

In the early 1600’s, a debate rages in Spain: did Spain, as a Christian country, have a right to enslave Africans or New World Indians?

In 1618, with all these events as background, Diego Velázquez, just 19 years old, paints Kitchen Maid with the Supper at Emmaus. Through a kitchen serving window, we see Jesus (with a halo), a disciple, and the hand of the another disciple as they sit to dine in Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-32). Jesus’ right hand is raised to bless the bread in his left hand: it is the moment before the disciples will have recognized their Lord! 

But the scene with Jesus and the disciples is only the background. The real drama is unfolding in the foreground, where we see a Moorish woman, likely a slave.

The Moor is in the kitchen, just off the dining room. Maybe she has just brought wine to their table with the pitcher. Maybe she is about to wipe their table with the rag lying in front of her. We don’t know. 

However, we CAN see that she is distracted from her work. She glances over her shoulder, listening through the serving window. Stunned, she leans on the table for support. Her eavesdropping has confirmed her suspicion! She recognizes the Man she's been serving! Although the two disciples have been blind to Jesus’ identity, the Moorish maid recognizes Him!

It is as if Jesus’ invitation to ‘take and eat’ is already reaching the ears of people beyond the disciples: Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, the great and the lowly!

The painting also suggests that slaves, whether African or American, have immortal souls; their ears can hear Christ's Word. In fact, this lowly maid seems more open to the Word of Christ than even His own disciples! With his brush strokes, Velazquez responds to the debate over the enslavement of Africans and New World Indians.