At the Museum of Cultures

The Museum of Cultures is located in the Historic Center of Mexico City behind the National Palace.  The building was built in the 18th century, and once housed the mint for the colony of New Spain.  

 

In the nineteenth century the building became the National Museum, and housed some of the archaeological treasures, such as the Aztec Sun Stone, which now reside in the National Anthropology Museum.  After the opening of the new Anthropology Museum in 1964, it was proposed to convert the building into a museum devoted to the world's cultures, past and present. It opened in 1965,  Most of the items in the museum, especially those relating to ancient civilizations, are replicas of famous works found elsewhere.  

I've been to the museum a couple of times.  It's very educational, but, as I said, most of the objects are not originals.  I returned last week to view a couple of special exhibits there.

The first was a display of Persian carpets.  The collection included carpets in a variety of styles from different parts of Iran.  The majority were from the 20th century, but there were also some antique rugs.

The second exhibit was a collection of hundreds of Mexican "ex-voto" paintings.  An "ex-voto" is a devotional painting done to show thanks for answered prayers.  The tradition was brought to Mexico from Spain.  At first it was mainly wealthy people who commissioned professional artists to do paintings on canvas, but as the custom spread among the masses, the paintings were done on small pieces of inexpensive tin by untrained artists.  "Ex-votos" emerged as a form of folk art and an expression of the religious faith of the Mexican people.  They influenced the work of famous 20th century painters such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo who had a large collection of "ex-votos".   The older ones are now considered valuable, collectable antiques.

The "ex-votos" typically have three parts:  first there is a depiction of some illness or misfortune, then an image of the saint or divinity to whom prayers were offered, and finally, usually at the bottom, a description of the answered prayer.  Often the writing on the older paintings is no longer legible.  Since the painters were generally not highly the inscriptions are often filled with spelling and grammatical errors.  That made it a rather interesting process for me, as a former Spanish teacher, to try to read them. 

  "Finding herself gravely ill, Rosa Seritos commended herself to Our Lady of Guadalupe and her supplications were heard and she remained healthy."

"Plácida Rosete, after suffering for five years a painful illness of paralysis, and as soon as she implored for help from our Lady the Virgen of Solitude which she venerated in this chapel, since then she remained healthy and as testimony of gratitude dedicates this remembrance.  

Atlixco, December 12, 1891"