Museum of Mexican History Unites Past and Present
Written: Dec 04 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Big, clean, modern museum chock full of historical greats!
Cons: Some displays labeled only in spanish
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Mexico |
Being in downtown Monterrey on a Sunday afternoon is one of the most wonderful ways to spend some time with family and friends. Everyone's outside with their loved ones, walking through the park, enjoying the music, buying balloons or maybe some grilled corn on the cob (elotes to the locals). Lovers hold hands, and find quiet benches amid the trees where they can just sit together with each other. The metropolitan area has about 4 million inhabitants, and I think they ALL spend their Sundays downtown -- the place is just so full of life!
Yesterday was an absolutely spectacular day to be in Monterrey -- the sun was warm, but not hot, and we were walking through the park at the Macroplaza when we decided to visit the Museo de Historia Mexicana, one of the largest and most popular museums in the city. Sunday is also the most popular day for families to visit the museum, and the museum helps encourage that by discounting the admission fee to just 5 pesos (about 50 cents). A great bargain for a museum like this, and a great opportunity to do something fun with the kids.
The Long Complex Tale of Our Southern Neighbor...
As you come up the stairs from the main lobby, the story of Mexico's past begins in the leftmost back corner (the recommended starting point, as you work your way through the galleries in chronological order). Artifacts chronicle the numerous civilizations that existed in Mexico for millenia before the arrival of the first Spanish explorers in the late 15th century.
One of the biggest differences between the Indian tribes that existed in what would become the United States and the native Mexicans was that the cultures in Mexico were not nomadic -- they built huge cities and complex civilizations. There are temples, astronomical observatories, and palaces throughout Mexico that stand as testament to the accomplishments and stories of these peoples -- the Maya, the Toltecs, the Aztecs -- and many others.
It's simply amazing to me how intricately carved some of these artifacts are, and how different the world view of these people must have been. I can't help but wonder what was different in the cultural mindsets of a people that would carve sculptures of humans with hugely elongated heads, as I see in some of the 1,000 year old Mayan pieces.
A series of dioramas shows the city layouts of several of Mexico's most famous archaelogical sites: Teotihuacan, Chichen-Itza, Palenque, and others. (See my review of Thousand Year Old Cities for more info about these incredible places.)
Next gallery: the Spanish conquest. The story begins with Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon, as he's known in Spanish), travelling to the Americas in 1492. Chris didn't step foot on the continental mainland on that first trip, but he'd do it in later ventures -- along with plenty of other Spanish conquistadors. There are exhibits showing cool things like old cannons, helmets, and models of Spanish galleons. There are stories about pirates in the Caribbean, and stories about deadly conflict as European culture crashed headlong into the Aztecs and the Mayans.
Mexico has always been a devoutly religious and conservative culture, and the next gallery shows some of the opulent riches of the great Mexican cathedrals. Murals and mock-ups show some of the famous padres and missions and help explain the often complex role that the Catholic church has played in Mexican history and politics.
An entire gallery focuses on Mexico during the 19th century -- a period that was as turbulent to the south as it was in the United States. While we experienced British meddling, westward expansion and our Civil War during this period, Mexico endured equally dramatic events, including battles with the French, the Texans (then a secessionist state/nation), and the United States army -- they saw a European emperor imposed against the will of the people, and even a revolution. Great stuff! And a fascinating exhibit...
When most people think of the Mexican Revolution, they don't think about the one that occurred in the 19th century. They think about the one that happened just before World War I. They think of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. They think of bandelero-laden bandits turned soldiers, and of trainloads of government troops getting rousted by bands of horse-riding machos. The gallery about the revolution provides all the necessary background info and maps, but the real attention-grabber is the huge revolution train that you can walk through and see exhibits and film clips taken during the revolution. Hugely popular with kids (and even some of us old timers!)
The twentieth century gallery includes exhibits of the advent of great industry (with a decided Monterrey emphasis -- like the huge copper brewing vat, and the glass works -- industries that even today help power the economic base of the city).
The last gallery shows recent popular culture exhibits -- especially the growth of media, like television and recording. Overall, a very comprehensive look at where the country came from, and how they became what they are today. It's no wonder to me that this museum is one of the city's most popular attractions.
Grand Masters of Popular Art
Upstairs is the past, downstairs is the present -- that's where cultural themes come to life through temporary exhibits.
One of the things I love about the Museum of Mexican History is its large, comprehensive temporary exhibitions. The current exhibit focuses on great works of modern Mexican folk art. Art in Mexico is very much the province of the people, and always has been. Some of the most fascinating glimpses into the culture can be seen by examining the craftsmanship, spirit, and vitality of the wonderfully intricate pieces created in small villages throughout the Republic.
I absolutely love the vibrantly bright colors and fanciful designs produced by some of the indian craftsmen from rural regions. The time and skill necessary to produce some of these works are incredible. The Huichol indians are renowned for the intricate patterns of their beadwork. There are jaguar heads with tiny colored beads glued to the surface, forming detailed patterns of brilliant colors. These are usually made by first carving a sculpture of the desired shape and then spending countless hours placing the beads, one by one, into patterns, some of which tell tales -- if you can read the patterns! The most impressive of these Huichol sculptures was a full-size jaguar that took the artist over a year to create!
One gallery (sala) was devoted to ceramics. Some of the works showed day-to-day themes, most showed some aspects of religious devotion. There was a fabulous ceramic sculpture of a truck on market day, with passenger facial features clearly painted, and tiny fruits and vegetables in the cargo hold, each painstakingly detailed. A whole wall of the gallery was devoted to the popular "tree of life" sculptures that you find in many of the top galleries in Mexico (one of the best I've ever seen was in the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City). The tree of life can take on endless variations on a theme, as was apparent from this exhibit where one of the most shockingly surreal sculptures was a "tree of death".
The entire lower level of the museum (about four galleries) is devoted to this outstanding temporary exhibit -- don't forget that small gallery just to the right of the glass doors as you're facing the plaza!
Insider Tip
The museum is closed on Mondays and free (my favorite word) on Tuesdays. I went there once on a Tuesday though, and the place was chock full of kids on school tours.
Getting There
Museo de Historia Mexicana is located near the Macroplaza in downtown Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. It's on Av. Dr. Coss, across the street from the Palacio del Gobierno (the state capitol building). It's an easy walk from most of the big downtown hotels, including the Howard Johnson, Fiesta Americana, Radisson Gran Ancira, Sheraton Ambassador, Rio Doubletree, and the Crown Plaza.
For more info, call them or check out their web site. Their phone number is (8)345-9898 (dial 011-52 first, if you're calling from the U.S.) The museum has an excellent web site with lots of information, including details of current temporary exhibits. The web site is at: www.museohistoriamexicana.org.mx
Related Epinions:
1,000 Year Old Cities: http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-3B8D-25CACC0-38E2150D-prod6
Chichen-Itza: http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-4B76-13E1005D-3808A867-prod1
Teotihuacan: http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-6078-10934CEE-393DA275-prod1
Pancho Villa: http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-3B8D-25CACC0-38E2150D-prod6
Recommended:
Yes
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