More from the Museum

Continuing our visit to the second floor ethnographic exhibits at the Anthropology Museum, we will next look at a gallery devoted to a number of linguistically related tribes which inhabit central Mexico.  The most numerous of these peoples are the Otomí, who number today more than 600,000 in eight Mexican states.

The Otomí are noted for their textiles, particularly their embroidery work.

 

This large piece of embroidered fabric represents the agricultural calendar of planting and harvesting of corn.

The Otomí are also well known for creating the rag dolls which have became emblematic of Mexico.  You may remember that last year Alejandro and I visited the town of Amealco, in the state of Querétaro, which claims to be the origin of these dolls.

The traditional garment of Otomí women, as well as those of many central Mexican tribes, is the "quechquemitl".  It is made of two rectangular pieces of fabric, often embroidered, which are sewn together to form a triangular, poncho-like garment.

During "Carnaval" in the days before Lent, the celebrations are a mixture of Christian and ancient, pre-Hispanic beliefs.  The celebrants venerate the devil and other malign spirits that can protect or harm so as to maintain an equilibrium in the universe.

Masks used during the "Carnaval" festivities

A recreation of an Otomí "ofrenda" or altar for the Day of the Dead

In Otomí villages in the state of Querétaro there are family "oratorios" or prayer chapels that were built between the 18th and early 20th centuries.  Although they contain Catholic imagery, these chapels are separate from the Church, and are used by families to venerate their ancestors.  In the museum there is a replica of an "oratorio" in the town of San Miguel Tolimán, Querétaro.  The walls and ceiling are covered with Otomí paintings.