Some of Mexico’s greatest living folk art masters brighten the Mundo Maya museum
An exhibit featuring a wide variety of Mexican folk art is now open at El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. Contemporary pieces from across the country offer a glimpse into the diversity of today’s folk artists.
The majority of the pieces are on loan from Fondo Cultural Citibanamex, and several have previously been shown at museums and galleries worldwide.
The exhibit includes textiles, masks, ceramic vases, high-quality reproductions of Prehispanic art, and staple Mexican folk art, such as the famous ceramic trees of life.
Among the many highlights inside the exhibit is the work of Leonardo Linares Vargas, one of Mexico’s most renowned alebrije artists.
Alebrijes—colorful, fantastical creatures created by Mexican folk artists—are often depicted as hybrid animals, combining features of different creatures. They are typically painted in bright, vivid colors. The term comes from the Spanish word albricias, which means “good news.”
Alebrijes are whimsical creatures typically made from wood, but they can also be crafted from other materials, such as paper-mâché or clay. Alebrijes are often seen as symbols of good luck and protection.
Representing Oaxaca are pieces by Agustín Cruz Tinoco, who began his artistic journey at 20, teaching himself to carve wood into simple figures that, over time, would evolve into larger and higher-quality pieces. Cruz Tinoco’s art is widely recognized for its mix of humor, color, and religious iconography, which has earned him several national and international awards.
Art from Michoacan include sculptures depicting “la danza tradicional de los viejitos” or the dance of the old men. In this vignette the dancers wearing masks of old men perform all sorts of choreographed and complex moves, only to at the end reveal (to those not already in the know) that they are in fact all old men.
The exhibition also includes reproductions and reimagining of pre-hispanic art produced in Ticul, Yucatán.
Two of the most unique pieces are a couple of beautiful seashells finely decorated with classical Maya motifs.
If you go
Access to the temporary exhibition costs 150 pesos for foreign visitors, 100 pesos for domestic tourists, and 50 pesos for Yucatán residents. Cost of admission also includes access to other exhibits including the museum’s permanent collection of colonial and Maya era artifacts and reproductions.
There is no official word on how long the folk art exhibit will remain at the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya; best not to wait too long.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
