Museum of Anthropology 7

 Exhibits Continued 

More ornamented figures

And plain figures, one with glowing eyes

Again a variety of  facial forms

Lots of imagination shown here

The hall with the temple displays, but no mention, that I saw, of the dreadful sacrifices made - and so they were judged with destruction. 

Inexplicable 

Your Halloween figure for today

Note the twisty nose

Mmm, you can write your own story for this

A tiny old figure in a calla lily. That could make a story, too. 

Or, how about a little fellow peeping out of a conch shell?

More figures. Compare features and forms. Much variation. 

A colonnade 

A temple facade ( probably) 

This was used for ball games; throw the ball through the hole made by the trunk.

The END of this tour.

Museum of Anthropology 6

 Exhibits Continued

Note ate variety of forms in the figures. These were not a homogeneous people in what is now Mexico. Many people from distinct races and ethnicities came to this part of the world, with their own culture ps are were observed, but retained some of their distinctive characteristics. 

Note the noses, lips, and headdresses. Each distinctive. 

A village diorama 

A complex relief carving. This was on an enormous round vat. 

A small relief panel. A spikey wolf? 

The huge Piedra del Sol, or Aztec Sun Stone. This was made at the beginning of the 1500‘s, under the rule of Moctezuma. It is 12 feet across, and weighs 24.5 tons. It was discovered during renovations on the cathedral in Mexico City in 1790. It is a ceremonial representation of time and the relationship of the deities to humanity. It wasn’t actually used as calendar. 

A monkey eating something and holding something 

A telemon (architectural supporting figure, male)

This seems to show Mediterranean influences. Phoenician? 

A detail of the above sculpture 

A similar sculpture 

Museum of Anthropology 5

 Exhibits Continued

More intriguing pottery

The black piece offers many possibilities for interpretation 

Note beards. That is significant of racial origins. The figure forms look Mediterranean or European. 

These are entirely different forms, and not by mistake; the sculptors were observing from life.

This was probably a huge old fireplace 

Footed bowls

Musical instruments 

Figurative pottery 

Painted pottery

These were noted as ceremonial objects

These chunky little fellows are a typical motif, always richly adorned

This is a Codex (copy), from the turn of the first millennium A.D. It is absolutely marvelous. It is very long with a myriad of colorful figures, each a specific character with objects pertinent to it. If one knows the characters - some of which were explained on a separate chart - one could “read” the unfolding story. These ancient people had no writing, but they did record their stories in illustrations. I was hoping for a book on this, but such luck. 

The character explanation chart

Another facial form, more long than the typical round. And a smaller nose and bigger, more round eyes. Possible beard.

To be continued….

Museum of Anthropology 4

 Exhibits Continued 

This is a segment of a large painting of daily activities 

Fine pottery 

A life-size buck

A view of the museum complex from the rear of the square, looking toward the entrance

A detail from another wall-size mural

I think donkey will win.

This mask/decoration has real horns 

Another wall mural, of indecipherable subject, but meant to be creepy. 

A stitched bag, obviously post-European arrival, because of the horse

Very fine pottery 

A detail of a wonderfully embroidered suit

Um… sure…

A common theme in architectural ornamentation

More . Halloween every day

To be continued…