What do Birds, Olmec Heads and 6 Ancient Cities Have in Common?

So what do birds, colossal Olmec heads and 6 ancient cities have in common?  Well … these three topics are themes for separate temporary exhibits currently on display at the National Museum of Anthropology.

   

The first is on feather art … that’s right – feather art, a native handicraft traditional dating back to pre-Hispanic times. The exhibit “Alas: El vuelo de las imágenes del mundo indigena,” part of a two-museum display (the other exhibit, hosted in the MUNAL, Mexico’s National Museum of Art downtown on Tacuba Street,  has unfortunately closed) showcasing how this highly valued, yet today forgotten, natural material was incorporated into textiles, paintings and decorative arts in popular cultures, as well as the importance of birds (in music, mythology, religion, dance, costumes and in oral tradition) in Mexican indigenous cultures.

 

The significance of birds is reflected in pieces made by close to forty different indigenous groups.  The extensive display illustrates how “amanteca” or feather art has yet to lose its relevance despite effort of the Spanish viceroyalty, remaining, in fact alive and pertinent, as evidenced by this sampling of crafts.

     

A second temporary exhibit, the longest running of the three at the National Museum of Anthropology, is entitled “Six Ancient Cities of Mesoamerica,” which projects the relationship between the peoples of different corners of Mesoamerica and their environments. Over 400 pieces are being shown – some for the first time ever and others borrowed from 17 distinct public and private museum collections. The goal of this exhibit is to trace the similarities and differences of six urban nuclei, using the writing systems, economic development, religious and ideological beliefs, and monumental architecture and art (ceramics, stone carvings, jewelry, masks, etc.) as a point of departure.  The similarities and differences are striking!

The third, most recently opened exhibit, is a fabulous collection of Olmec objects found along the Gulf Coast of Mexico.  Indeed, the museum itself houses an impressive selection of artifacts from the oldest civilization in Mexico (frequently referred to as the “mother culture” of Mesoamerica, however, more recent anthropological theories are reconsidering it as the “sister culture,” supporting the idea that several groups emerged simultaneously yet independently, seeing as how NOT all cultures of Mesoamerica can trace their origins back to this specific ancient civilization) in its permanent collection, yet this grouping is coming from an exhibit which was hosted at the de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco under the heading: Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico.

 

The 106 pieces on display have been culled from collections belonging to the Anthropology Museums of          Xalapa and Merida among others, and include two colossal heads (which are referred to as Head Number 5 and  Head Number 9 from San Lorenzo).  The sheer fact that these artifacts date back to the second millennium BC, yes – the second millennium before Christ! – weighing in at a hefty 4 and 6 tons respectively, make them obligatory viewing. (By the way, over 600 thousand people visited the exhibit in California, at $25 US dollars a pop, so how can a local visitor bypass the opportunity to see this exhibit  in Mexico City for roughly  $4.00 US (depending on the fluctuating peso-dollar parity rate) – that’s $51 Mexican pesos, with no waiting lines either!!)

I personally cannot remember a time when the museum had so much going on simultaneously. Obviously, each of these exhibits requires the collaboration and coordination of too many experts to list here, but in reference to my previous post – the fact that Director Diana Magaloni has been spearheading the initiative to bring quality exhibits back to the Anthropology Museum, and is sponsoring all sorts of educational forums on topics related to these shows, you can expect to see even more great exhibits and talks at this emblematic museum.  Her efforts are not going unnoticed.  Kudos to Magaloni!

 

National Museum of Anthropology Maven

With the recent naming of Diana Magaloni Kerpel as direct to the National Museum of Anthropology, this emblematic museum is undergoing a renaissance of sorts. Despite a severely restricted budget (what else is new?), Dr. Magaloni is successfully recovering the original philosophy of this institution by hosting numerous colloquials, conferences, workshops and talks on both traditional and novel topics (more on this in my upcoming blogs), and has painstakingly prepared new exhibits, culling from the extensive inventory of the INAH (Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History) and borrowing from friendly museums nationwide. By promoting an uncommon, yet urgent and refreshing attitude of international collaboration, she has bolstered educational programs and promoted exciting new temporary exhibits. Her approach is unusual and decisive for what has gradually become a stodgy, pedantic institution. Perhaps her fearless attitude of risk-taking, and more global perspective (she did graduate work at Yale University) gives her a startlingly open mindset for a museum director, which will hopefully put the Anthropology Museum back on the international map as a groundbreaking institution of worldwide acclaim.

I will explore the three exhibits currently at the Anthropology Museum and a few recent conferences sponsored under the tutelage of Dr. Magaloni in my next blog.

 

The National Museum of Anthropology: Mexico’s Crown Jewel

The National Museum of Anthropology is to Mexico City what the Louvre is to Paris, or the Met to New York City. It is unfathomable that a tourist visit this capital city, without visiting this emblematic museum at least once if not twice. Encompassing over 4 thousand years of human history, this museum traces humankind from its prehistoric roots to the sophisticated and sanguinary empire which Hernán Cortes faced on his arrival to the New World, up to modern times. It is not only the most important museum of its genre in Mexico, but, in fact, holds it own on a worldwide scale. Organized in a nice, neat and easily comprehensible fashion, intertwining the geographical areas of Mesoamerica with their chronological distinctions (the pillars of time-and-space, ubiquitous to all archaeological studies in the region), this monument to pre-Hispanic cultures covers it all.

The distinction of being an anthropologically oriented museum, rather than archaeological oriented museum, allows Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology a much broader parameters. In case you are wondering, anthropology studies people (anthropos means “human beings” in Greek, with the morpheme -logia meaning “the study of,” hence anthropology is the study of humans), traditionally grouping several specialities such as linguistics, physical (forensic, medical, biological, etc.) and social anthropology, archeology and ethnography under the same broad heading. That is how the material covered on the second floor of the museum ties in – ethnographic exhibits which showcase the existing (or barely surviving, depending on your point of view) descendants of the pre-Hispanic civilizations showcased on the ground floor exhibits, making up roughly 13% of Mexico’s population today, often referred to as “indigenous,” “autochtonous,” or “native” (but, please, not “tribes”).

The permanent collection of thousands and thousands or ancient artifacts – carved volcanic rock, ceramics, featherwork, jewelry, etc., is studded with sophisticated pieces – all elaborated by stone on stone technique. It is hard to imagine that such intricate work emerged from a stone age culture (that is, Mesoamerica was untouched by the Bronze Age or the Iron Age, in fact, only copper, silver and gold were being worked when Europeans descended on this continent). Detailed stone work, particularly evident in the post-classic Mexica room, in both dimension and intricacy is breathtaking and mind boggling. The Sun Stone, Coatlicue, Tizoc’s Stone, are but a few of the impressive pieces on view.   The ceramic pieces, particularly the beautiful and delicate items on display in the Oaxacan Halls would be collectors’ items if produced for the first time today.

Despite all the obstacles the early civilizations of Mexico faced (environmental, social, technological, shortage of materials and food, etc.) they survived and flourished …. much as the the modern people of Mexico still do today!