indigenous Mexican Women’s Art Exhibition Acknowledges Past Injustice & Celebrates resilience
A major art exhibition, “Half of the World. Women in Indigenous Mexico,” opened Friday in Madrid, showcasing 435 pieces spanning 30 centuries of indigenous Mexican culture. The exhibition, hosted across four venues – the house of Mexico, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Cervantes Institute – aims too vindicate the crucial role of women in preserving and continuing indigenous traditions.
The exhibition arrives amidst ongoing dialog regarding Spain’s colonial past.Spanish Minister José Manuel Albares acknowledged “pain and injustice towards the native peoples” as an undeniable part of “shared history,” responding to continued calls from the Mexican government for an apology from Spain, initially requested by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in a letter to King Felipe VI. Albares emphasized the importance of recognizing and regretting past injustices.
Curator Romero highlighted the exhibition’s focus on demonstrating the continuities between past and present indigenous cultures. While acknowledging the difficulty in definitively knowing the number of pre-Hispanic indigenous groups, he noted that currently, there are 74 recognized towns and 68 national languages in Mexico, alongside Spanish. The exhibition seeks to reveal commonalities across time and geography, emphasizing that indigenous cultures are not relics of the past but living traditions carried forward by their heirs.
the exhibition is divided thematically across the venues. The House of Mexico focuses on the divine realm of women in cultures like the Mayan, Huasteca, and Mexica, showcasing representations of women linked to water, night, and fertility. The Thyssen displays the jewels found adorning the remains of “the red queen,” Mrs. Tz’aka’ab Ajaw. The Archaeological Museum features pieces relating to the social aspects of these cultures, and the Cervantes Institute showcases “woven stories” through the art of textiles.
Ultimately, “Half of the World” is a festivity of the enduring ancestral wealth of indigenous Mexico and, crucially, the women who ensure its continuity. The exhibition aims to value and vindicate these women within their social context, recognizing their vital role in preserving cultural wisdom and traditions.
