THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM
The Museum of Anthropology is a must see in Mexico City. It contains the whole history of humanity in middle America from the earliest of times.
However the building itself is a remarkable building. Designed in 1964 the monumental building contains exhibition halls surrounding a courtyard with a huge pond and a vast square concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar (known as “el paraguas”, Spanish for “the umbrella”).
In 1964, President Adolfo López Mateos when opening the museum stated….
“The Mexican people lift this monument in honor of the admirable cultures that flourished during the Pre-Columbian period in regions that are now territory of the Republic. In front of the testimonies of those cultures, the Mexico of today pays tribute to the indigenous people of Mexico, in whose example we recognize characteristics of our national originality”.
Below are just some of many images that caught my eye in a somewhat sequential order from about 2600 BC to the 1500.s
Above a player in the ball game wherein only the hips could be used to hit the ball.
Above-The Temple of the Feathered Serpent from Tenochitlan.
Above is a piece of carved stone about three feet across.
Below pieces from Monte Alban.
Above a reconstructed Temple on the grounds.
Below –The Olmec civilization of the Gulf coast.
The Olmecs were the earliest known major civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
They flourished from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE. They were the first Mesoamerican civilization, and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed. They played the Mesoamerican ballgame.
Dont they look African ! There is speculation in some quarters that this was the case though it is not accepted by the mainstream.
Above and below- The Maya of the Yucatan
Below a Chacmool from the Mayan Yucatan.
My favourites are the ones from western Mexico away from the main civilizations that affected the central and eastern areas. The Shaft Tomb Culture it was called because what we have found of them are from deep shafts with radiating tombs in which the deceased was placed along with everyday objects. They seemed to be a very playfull and whimsical people. See more about their culture here.
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