I went to Mexico City in November and I had an awesome time! My daughter and I spent 5 fun-filled days there, which definitely wasn’t enough to see everything. However, I couldn’t leave without going to a textile museum. It’s so inspiring to see how other cultures make art and to see beauty through their eyes. Let me take you on a little tour!
Here are various outfits that people wear in different regions in Mexico!
Trees of life in Mexico are a very popular symbol. It usually represents the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden but through the lens of the belief system of the indigenous people.
A popular piece of art that you may see throughout Central and Southern Mexico are sculptures of brightly colored animal. These sculptures are called alebrijes. They are made up creatures that have features of well known animals- like a monster with octopus legs, or a dragon’s body with a dog’s head. They were traditionally made out of paper mache, but today you will see a lot of them carved out of wood.
Skulls and skeletons are a big part of Mexican folk art! In my society, death is seen as something morbid. However, Mexicans believe in duality and that death is a normal and integral part of life. They believe in 3 deaths- the first one is when you stop breathing, the second one is when you are buried, and the third one is when no one speaks your name or remembers you. That is the purpose of the Day of the Dead celebration. They make altars to honor and remember their loved ones.
One famous skeletal depiction is La Catrina, drawn by Guadalupe Posada. Posada wanted to let people know that death comes for everyone, rich or poor, white or not, and in the end everyone will be a skeleton. Overall, what I have taken from this is to enjoy my life every day because you never know when it will end.
You wouldn’t believe all of the materials used to make these pieces of art- straw, bamboo, beads, wood, handmade dyes, hand-spun wool, clay, and much more.
Here are some links to a couple of articles with more information on alebrijes and the importance of skulls and skeletons in Mexican folk art: https://www.byarcadia.org/post/mexican-folk-art-101-skulls-and-skeletons , https://www.mexican-folk-art-guide.com/alebrijes.html#.ZBO9Fi-B2qQ
Happy Sunday everyone! Until next time