The Huichol tribe of western Mexico is famous for incredible works of art made from colored beads. A fantastic example of their skill is inside the entrance to the Museum of Popular Arts in Mexico City... a Volkswagen beetle covered in beads.
I have probably posted a photo of this VW previously, but on my latest visit I noticed a couple of signs with data on its creation and history. So I thought I would share some of that information with you, and post some more photos of the intricate, traditional designs that cover this car.
This 1990 "vocho" (the term Mexicans use for the VW beetle) was decorated in 2010 in honor of Mexico's bicentennial by eight members of the Huichol tribe from the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. It took seven months, and 38,080 work hours to complete the project. 2,277,000 glass beads, weighing 396 pounds, were used.
This beetle has traveled the world. In 2012 it was displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. It has been exhibited throughout Mexico and the U.S. and in Paris, London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Madrid, Brussels, Beijing, and the VW headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. Since June of 2017 it has been on permanent display here in the Museum of Popular Arts.
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