The Greatness of Mexico

Last week I made another trip downtown.  I went to the headquarters of the Secretariat of Public Education to see a special exhibit called "La Grandeza de México" (The Greatness of Mexico).  The exhibit is divided between two venues.  One portion is in the National Museum of Anthropology.  Fortunately, I saw that part of the exhibit on my previous trip, because the Anthropology Museum is temporarily closed because of the Omicron wave.  However, the Secretariat of Education is still open, and was able to see the rest of the exhibit.

This portion of the exhibit consists mostly of pre-Hispanic artifacts.  They are displayed in the Pan-American Hall of building.  Admission is free, but, because of the pandemic, only ten people are allowed to enter the hall at a time.  Fortunately I only had to wait a few minutes before I was admitted.

Here are few items from the exhibit...

A fragment of a mural painting from the Mayan city of Calakmul

A limestone carving of a female governor from the Mayan city of Pomoná

The exhibit contains a number of pieces that belonged to collections or museums in the United States and which were returned to Mexico.  This Mayan urn was voluntarily repatriated by Albion College in Michigan.

This Mayan carving was voluntarily returned to Mexico by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2019.

This Aztec carving served as a standard bearer.  A flag pole would have been placed through the hole in its hand.

This is a sculpture of the Aztec god Xipe Totec, the god of agricultural renewal.

In Aztec mythology he flayed himself to feed humanity, symbolic of the way that corn seeds lose their outer skin before germination.

A ceramic figurine from Teotihuacán

The chest opens to reveal the image of a god.

This copper, 18th century baptismal font was returned to Mexico through the efforts of the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson.

A picture done in the 20th century by an artist from the Huichol tribe of western Mexico.  The work was created by gluing colored yarn on a board. 

The Secretariat of Public Education also features one of the largest series of murals by Diego Rivera.  But those will be the subject of a future article.