We’re going to talk about Gods and Death, big day, but first – eatin’ bugs.
Mexico is not afraid to talk about their penchant for insect consumption and that’s how we stumbled on this exhibition:
What enticed us in were the very large wicker ants gracing the foyer and balcony.
The actual exhibit had photos of local insects with recipes which I neglected to copy down so now we will never know the proper way to prepare moth stew or whatever.
And I was delighted by the print of an anthropomorphic beetle reading an important document to a rapt audience of winged critters.
Unrelated but still on the topic of food: I had no idea that Lebanese cuisine had such an influence in Mexico. But I saw shwarma stands all over the place.
I learned that shwarma is a Lebanese influence. Mexico has a whole bunch of different influences. From Wikipedia:
During the 19th century, Mexico experienced an influx of various immigrants, including French, Lebanese, German, Chinese and Italian, which have had some effect on the food. During the French intervention in Mexico, French food became popular with the upper classes. An influence on these new trends came from chef Tudor, who was brought to Mexico by the Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg. One lasting evidence of this is the variety of breads and sweet breads, such as bolillos, conchas and much more, which can be found in Mexican bakeries. The Germans brought beer brewing techniques and the Chinese added their cuisine to certain areas of the country. This led to Mexico characterizing its cuisine more by its relation to popular traditions rather than on particular cooking techniques.
Okay, on to the main topic. Day 1 started with a trip to the Anthropological Museum. It is a totally awesome museum, especially in layout. There’s an big open middle plaza between all the buildings that make up the museum. The plaza is covered by cement and it’s supported by an enormous pillar with indigenous symbols. Bonus: It’s also a fountain. Like a giant tree surrounded by a waterfall. It’s great. This is my picture and it’s crappy. However you can get a sense of scale. That small man with his arms up at the bottom? That’s Cricket and he’s 6’2″.
Here are some better pics I found on the web.
As we entered the first exhibition hall we were greeted by this sculpture.
And this display of a necklace made from human teeth.
I was like “Oh, you’re not going to warm me up with an icebreaker? We’re gonna go right into it? Alright, okay.”
I saw this article when I got home and I understood it. Crystal clear. The Pre-Columbian people were not cute. They would eat your children and make a tiara of the leftover phalanges if they felt like it.
One of the best displays was the outdoor temples. Now remember, we’re in the middle of a city with limited space so whoever designed this did a kickass job. The temples are nestled in thick foliage and you really couldn’t hear the cars even though you were right next to the street.
I saw of my favorite exhibition items, like a mummlet (what I call a mummy that’s in the crouching position, bonus points if they’re stuffed in a ceramic urn).
A selection of shrines with offerings.
Some excellent filigree work done with gold.
Clarification of filigree and why it’s so impressive.
That’s tough to do today with modern tools, imagine how difficult it was to do way back then.
Here’s a supremely janky looking snail.
A screaming badger.
This smiling… frog, maybe? We’ll go frog.
There was a recreation of mural (because the original is some cave in the mountains) and I loved how the brown and black elements overlapped and interacted with each other.
There were some tombs with their contents.
What appeared to be a quaint little KKK meeting rendered in clay.
When I first saw this pair of earrings I immediately went “Nazi!! Nazi earrings!!” but when I got closer I realized my error. From farther away they distinctly resemble something Fuhrer-y.
The cafe downstairs had very nice offerings and if I go back I want to get the salad with the grasshoppers.
And I liked the way you donated to the museum. You dropped coins in the mouth of the snake and they zippered their way down to the bottom. Good design.
