Las Artes de México
at the Yale Peabody Museum

On view March 22 to July 19, 2008

Las Artes de México
Opening Celebration
Saturday, March 22, 2008
from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

For Teachers

The Yale Peabody Museum’s latest traveling exhibition celebrates the rich and diverse artistic traditions of Mexico. Developed by the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Las Artes de México examines over 3,500 years of art and culture and of tradition and change across the broad spectrum of Mexican life, from the ancient worlds of the Mayans and Aztecs to the 20th century works of Miguel Covarrubias and Diego Rivera.

Included are artifacts from over a dozen pre-Columbian cultures that reveal a world of ceremony and celebration, of ritual warfare and the veneration of the dead, along with a selection of material from the Peabody’s own collections.

Moving forward in time, folk portraits and carvings of patron saints eloquently show the merging of Spanish culture, Catholic iconography, and native art after the founding of New Spain in the 1500s, while colorful costumes and glittering fabrics illustrate folk celebrations and other traditional practices that continued through the colonial period.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social commentary became a hallmark of Mexican art, and this exhibition examines both paintings and works on paper during the development of the modern Mexican state.

Above right: Teotihuacán Mask, A.D. 100 to 600, stone.
Above left: Guadalupe Madonna Santo, 19th century, wood.

Las Artes de México is shown courtesy of the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tour development by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services, Kansas City, Missouri.

For Teachers

Download this description of offerings [PDF 49KB] for teachers and students based on the Las Artes de México exhibition, including a special docent class and an upcoming teacher’s workshop.

Download our Las Artes de México curriculum, designed to be used in conjunction with a visit to the exhibition. These 10 lesson units can also be used as stand-alone activities. Our pre-visit kit will be available by March 31.

Click here to get the free Adobe® Reader® to view these PDF files.

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