My Favorite Exhibit

Isn't this (the headdress) gorgeous!

 Sacrificial Altar

 Description of the Aztec Calendar

Hands holding human hearts

Tongue as an Instrument of torture

Ancient ball court game, must

hit ball through hole, shooting from hip

no hands....result beheading or heart

removal while still beating!

 We loved this Don Quixote cart--authentic

The metal bands holding the wheels together

broken but still functioning

 Mexican festival costume--el toro

 Oaxaca famous for its beautiful embroidery!

Children's clothing exhibit

 Native war costumes...the circles

represent "eternity"..white paint

Horse costume, ride inside it.

Note:  the little boy's shoes on the side 

 Bridal costumes

 Embroidery decorating clothing from

Oaxaca

 Then the Spaniards came.  Note the feathered

headdress in the center.

 Another example of bridal clothing

 This cape was embroidered beautifully.

 At first, we didn't notice the people under

the elaborate headdresses.

 Two examples of festival dress (note the horse

worn on the front of his waist).  I took

2 photos because I love Neal's surprised expression.

 We see braids woven with yarn all the time

now, present day.  It is very beautiful

 Just look at this embroidery!

It is all hand-done...just beautiful!

 More examples of the beautiful handwork!

 Market day in Oaxaca

 We took this pic for the gorgeous headdress

hanging above the display- again, note

the intricate embroidery on the models

 This is a display of the masked and frightening

images surrounding the Day of the Dead

 Ain't she beautiful.  We see her everywhere.

There were probably 40 different sizes and representations

of her in this store alone.  She is made of glass here.  She

represents the Day of the Dead!

 This decoration represents more skeletal

images of the Day of the Dead

 This is an example of a home in Oaxaca

poor, reeds, but still look at the beautiful

embroidery.  Notice the baby in the mat hammock!

 This reminds us of homes in the Philippines.

It is very small, but note, the brown box

in front of me.  It has a little doll inside.

 We took this shot (blurry) because it reminded

us of the mud houses in Kenya!

 This is a diorama of village life in the 

time of the Aztecs.  

 Early Mexico City, reclaimed from a large

lake.  They planted water-resistant trees at the

4 corners, divided the city into 4 quadrants,

and then reclaimed it by packing different layers of

water lilies and mud to create a semi-solid earth

base on which to build the city.

 Early Mexico City on the reclaimed land

from the lake on which it is built.  That

is why the city is sinking presently.

 Mural-Diego Rivera?

 Temple wall fascade

 Ball court hoop

 The National Museum of Anthropology

is world-famous, and absolutely huge.  It

would be impossible to see every room in one day.

We hit just the highlights in 3 hours.  It has a huge

roof over the plaza.  Different Museums depicting

various periods in Mexican history surround this plaza.

A big portion of the plaza is covered by a cement roof, supported by this huge fountain.

 This is a codice--like an early Mexican book

The topics are religious.  Catholic priests destroyed estimated

thousands of these books as being heretical.  There are

less than 10 remaining in the world.  We saw 3 here.

 This is a glossary describing the pictured icons.

You don't turn pages of a codice, you unfold it.

 More codices.

 Each of these 12 Museums in this complex,

empties out into a courtyard like this.

On the other side of the courtyards are other museums

that we didn't even cross to see.

 We were astounded at how many artifacts

there are here--room after room after room in

each of the museums, plus there are basements and

top floors we didn't even explore.

 There were many displays of 

jewelry and especially of jade.

 When we arrived, these Lamanite Dancers

(exact replicas) were walking by to 

a performance.  Our camera was being bad,

so we missed that photo op!

 This is a huge mural depicting the history of Mexico

 Description of the excavation of the Olmec Head.

Some believe the Olmecs were the Jaredites.

 Neal has been way into Mormon

evidences in this beautiful land since

we arrived here, so he loved this

part of the museum!

 There are just columns after columns,

carved stones after stones in these

many museums.

 Note the two skeletons--the one

man in seeming despair.

 This is a person in his coffin.

 Warrior presented to King

 Woman with a food offering.

 We saw many, many such displays as

this showing artifacts scientists have

found at the dig sites.  

 Entrance to the Nat'l Museum of Anthropology

 Us at the entrance

 Costumes & musical instruments

Even a costume for the bull.

 Neal at the Aztec Calendar

 Neal in front of Quetzequatl's Temple

This is a ritualistic ceremony performed near

the museum, but also in many places in Mexico.

Five men prepare ceremonially in costume to

ascend a 30 foot pole anchored to the ground.  In many places

a tree is felled for the purpose.  These men dance

around the pole in a prescribed manner.  One carries

a small drum and flute.

At the top of the pole they sit precariously on

a flimsy, barebones, square platform

They perform some dance forms on this

structure, before falling back into the air.

They are yanked back until the rope plays

out and then they begin to circle and descend, hanging

only from their ankles.

The vendor's costume is completely covered

in beads.  He wanted $17 US for the little 

wooden replica of the tower and men.  I was tempted

for about a minute (but then thought, where would

I put it?  One more thing for the storage room).  

Back to the Museum--stone boxes

Model of  Teotihuacahn--the Pyramids

We came upon this shaman performing

a cleansing ritual using feathers, a cream or

lotion, a smoke cloud and touching to purify 

these customers.

More pictures of the Museum

costumes.  I was fascinated with

the intricate embroidery from these

industrious women.

Like a nipa hut.  This one actually

had a mosquito net.  We had to take a picture.

Farewell for our July group

Downton Mexico City--skyscrapers, monuments

and vendors

Here is where the embroidery starts...

Downtown sales~!