Monday, March 14, 2011

a few more minutes in the museum


I promised we were going to Teotihuacán today, but I changed my mind.


I managed to see a couple of the other rooms in the National Museum of Anthropology.  And I thought you might like to see a few more photographs.


I have no grand commentary because the objects have no common cultural source.  But I found each piece to have its own interest.


Such as the rabbit pot at the top of this post.  There was just something very humorous in its pose.  Some artist had a nice bit of wit with that piece.


When I first saw these two statues, I mistook them for two tired and baffled tourists who tried to see too much of the museum in one day.  I particularly like the look on the "wife's" face.




Or this Aztec deity doing his best to look furious, but looking more like he escaped from a Men in Black remake.  It is a testament to American comedy that such creatures have been tamed in our minds.



This priestess is another piece that made me think the artist based it on a real person.  If you increase the size of the photograph (by clicking on it), you can get a better view of her face.  She could be my neighbor.

 


And speaking of my other Mexican neighbor, this is what he calls the Mexican salute.  It appears to have a noble genesis.

 


And this piece seemed to be part of a Hummel "Lord of the Rings" figurine collection.  And I do not mean that as an insult.  It is a piece that I can immediately relate to.  Ancient art was not all rigid deities and decapitated corpses.




But I saved this for last. 


People often ask me why I like archaeology.  The usual answer I give is that it helps us to understand who we are by letting us know who we were. 


But the answer can even be more basic.  Sometimes we simply find ourselves in the past.  Who would think Marge Simpson's ancestor would show up in pottery form?



OK.  I have had my little bit of fun.


Tomorrow we will go to Teotihuacán.


Really!

12 comments:

Paty said...

I really enjoyed your "little bit of fun". After all the stoic pieces, it's always nice to find the humor an artist was aiming for, or even if he wasn't being humorous, to find it anyway.

Did you notice with the piece of your lady neighbor, the two different styles used between the two hands and the foot? I see that style of the hands in the Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco pre-Columbian pieces I collect. But those toes are as realistic as anything Michelangelo ever did. What an achievement!

Thanks for the last look at the museum--I appreciate your humor!

lauriematherne said...

I think the last one looks very much like Lisa Simpson. I am glad you enjoyed your museum tour.

Steve Cotton said...

Parting shots are often the best. I need to get back to the museum, though. It has almost everything I was looking for to slake my archaeological thirst.

Steve Cotton said...

You may be correct. Either way, Bouvier blood runs in that clay.

Felipe Zapata said...

My father dreamed of being an archaeologist. However, it was the Great Depression, and he lived in Atlanta. The nearest archaeology program was in, I believe, New Mexico at that time, and his parents were struggling like most of the nation. He could not do it, which he always regretted.

Since I followed in his occupational footsteps, I likely would have been an archaeologist too had he gone that route. I wish that had happened.

Great photos on this post, señor.

Steve Cotton said...

When I was stationed in Greece, I developed the archaeological bug. It has never gone away. And this is a great country to fill the gap.

My Panasonic is a poretty good camera for these museum shots.

John said...

Yeah - I go along with the Marge Simpson theory - perhaps they used this as a model? ;-)

Steve Cotton said...

A bit disturbing to think The Simpsons have been lurking for centuries.

LeslieLimon said...

Very enjoyable post! I absolutely love the look on the wife's face. Classic. I sincerely hope that I've never made that face. :P

And yes, the last piece looks like it's straight from the Simpsons. :)

Steve Cotton said...

I, however, was starting to look a lot like the "husband."

Kim G said...

Marge Simpson....LOL!!!!

Watching the Simpsons in Spanish is even funnier than watching it in English. Especially with F. One time we were watching, and he turned to me and asked in all seriousness, "So are the Simpsons really a typical American family?" I had a good laugh with that one.

As I did with the end of your post.

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where after reading the news, we wonder whether Homer Simpson also was in charge of the Japanese nuclear program.

Steve Cotton said...

I have noticed the Simpsons eyes in several pre-conquest pieces.

F's question reminded me of a similar one put to me by a young Brit in the 90s. He wanted to know if everyone lived liked the families on Dynasty. He hoped it was true.