Lords of the Rain

On Wednesday I went to the National Palace, the headquarters of the executive branch of Mexico's government.   It is located in the heart of Mexico City's historic center.

Throngs of tourists come to the National Palace.  Most of them come to see the mural paintings by Diego Rivera which decorate the main courtyard.

I, however, came here to see a special exhibit on the Mixtecs, one of Mexico's major pre-Hispanic civilizations, and today one of the country's major indigenous groups.  Today there are more than 800,000 Mixtecs and many of them still speak the Mixteco language.  The Mixtec homeland is in the states of Oaxaca, Puebla, and Guerrero.

The Mixtecs referred to themselves as the Lords of the Rain because of their veneration of the rain god Dzahui.

The exhibit contains over 500 items gathered from numerous museums throughout the country, and it has been called a once in a lifetime experience to see so many Mixtec treasures from so many different museums gathered together in one place.  Originally the exposition was only supposed to run until June 24, but, fortunately for me, its run has been extended.  

The history of the Mixtecs goes back several thousand years, and the earliest artifacts show strong influence from the Olmecs, Mexico's oldest civilization.

This beautiful carving of polished green stone is the largest of its kind to be found.

As previously mentioned, the principal god of the Mixtecs was Dzahui, the god of rain.  Similar to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain, Dzahui is usually portrayed with goggle-like eyes.

This cup portrays the fleshless face of Mictlantecuhtli, the god of the dead.

The Mixtecs eventually came under the control of the Aztecs, and they adopted some of the Aztec gods.  This statue is of Xipe Totec, the "Flayed Lord" who flayed himself to nourish humanity.  He is usually portrayed wearing the skin of a sacrificial victim.

In an earlier post, I talked about the "Rabbit in the Moon".  According to pre-Hispanic mythology, the gods threw a rabbit against the moon so that its light would be less than the sun's.  That myth is represented in this stone carving.

The Mixtecs were famous for their poly-chromed pottery.

One highlight of the exhibit is a recreation of the burial of the Lady of Yucundaá.   This Mixtec grave was excavated between 2004 and 2012 and was a major archaeological find.  The burial was of a high-ranking Mixtec woman and thousands of offerings... beads, pieces of obsidian, pottery, and small figures... were thrown into the grave.  What is quite amazing is that this burial took place shortly after the Spanish conquest, and the Catholic priests allowed the burial to take place in the atrium of the village church.

Some of the objects found in the grave were on display.

The Mixtecs were the most celebrated goldsmiths in pre-Hispanic Mexico.  Some of the treasures from a royal tomb at Monte Albán, Oaxaca, have been brought from the Regional Museum of Oaxaca for this exhibit.

The exhibit goes beyond the pre-Hispanic civilization of the Mixtecs.  It also deals with the Mixtec people of today.  Here are a few of the handicrafts which are part of their present-day culture.

In my opinion, the show is the most important and impressive of all the special exhibits going on in Mexico City.  If you are in Mexico City right now, I recommend that you see this wonderful collection before it closes.