Every year, from September 15 through October 15, people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Let us remember that this year, 2021, marks the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Tenochtitlan, the Mexica capital. A modern inscription marks that event. One could argue that this marked the beginning of Hispanic heritage in the […]
Lecture – Chocolate, Corn and Floating Farms: the Marvel of Aztec Foods by Dirk Van Tuerenhout Is it possible that the Aztecs may help feed a hungry planet tomorrow? The Aztecs developed revolutionary farming techniques that were a marvel. They also gave us many things we have in our pantry today, but also ate foods […]
So today is National Talk Like a Pirate Day, and a lot of people have been asking me if we have any pirate-related (piratical?) objects in our collection at HMNS. One thing I can say with certainty is that a pirate in a jam would be lucky to find himself roaming through our halls. We […]
A perfect example of a fascinating object that most visitors to HMNS don’t see, this ceramic figure of Huehueteotl is of Classic Veracruz origin. The Classic Veracruz Culture existed from roughly 100-1000 AD and is largely unknown to the general public because it is overshadowed by contemporaneous cultures like that of Teotihuacan and later the […]
By Jerry Offner, Associate Curator for Northern Mesoamerica Houston Museum of Natural science The Houston Museum of Natural Science and La Bibliothèque nationale de France have been cooperating in a new and unique scientific endeavor: special imaging of two Aztec Codex documents from before the Spanish conquest. Part one of this article will discuss the imaging […]
Imaging the Codex Xolotl and Mapa Quinatzin at the Bibliothèque National de France, Paris, 14-15 June, 2016 Written by Jerome A. Offner, Ph.D, HMNS Associate Curator, Northern Mesoamerica On June 14 and 15, Dr. Antonino Cosentino of Cultural Heritage Science Open Source and I were able to carry out technical photography of the Codex Xolotl […]
Archaeology is a field of study where patience is a virtue. Having a bit of luck doesn’t hurt either. In popular culture, archaeologists are seen as people who discover “lost cities,” “mysterious pyramids” and “precious treasures.” In real life, things are much more exciting. Consider a recent development in archaeological investigations in one of Mexico’s […]
translation by Ivan Perez Felipe Gonzalez, known in the art world of Mexico City as Ferguz, is one of millions of North Americans inspired by the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe, but his fine art pushes the world-famous Mexican icon to its limits. Using a variety of media to create shimmering minimalistic variations on […]
Sourcing product for special exhibits is one of the favorite things about my job, but as a lover of Mexican art and culture, La Virgen de Guadalupe: Empress of the Americas has been especially fun. This summer, we traveled to Mexico City and met with officials at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The […]
My mom was a chemistry and home-ec teacher, so I grew up in a home where ingredients were carefully measured and food items were attractively arranged. While I got to help out in the kitchen as much as I wanted, I always liked being in the kitchen around the holidays. There were always new tricks […]
