Those Big Headed Mexicans

Photo copyright 2009 Skeeter Daniels

El Museo Fabuloso...The Museum of Anthropology at Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

Don and I spent close to three hours in this fabulous museum. The architecture is unique, built on a hillside, designed to reveal layer after layer of Pre-Columbian history and artifacts as you descend the hill and enter a new zone or epoch of the past. My favorites found in this wonderful collection include the many giant Olmec heads, each weighing many tons, carved out of basalt, and other volcanic rock. The Olmec, or mother culture of the original inhabitants of the country, has transcended time by the creation of these works.

The museum houses many of the best works removed from Tejin, a large site nearby that is being researched and restored. There are exhibits on specific deities and rituals. One section features zoological artifacts, and along with the popular Jaguar, cats, monkeys and bat themed objects can be found. One section is filled with baby faces, portraying children in various emotions. One sculpture has two kids in a swing, and it is almost a snapshot into these happy kids' lives. The hopes and fears, the divinity, and spirituality, the warfare they utilized, and the complexities of their societies are all transmitted through time by the art these peoples created.

The only museum to have more Pre-Columbian art than here is the Museo de Anthropologica in Mexico City. The museum has ample street side parking. I recommend renting the audio headsets for 20 pesos, as it really enhanced the experience greatly.

The liberal use of sound effects and the overproduced audio became a bit tiresome at times, but then you realize how much more you can get from the program as it covers close to a hundred of the exhibits. Some of the writing could stand improvement, adding more depth than just the what or why would be helpful. It is clear that there are many things the archeologists just don't know about some of the artifacts and the peoples who created them, and may be shrouded in
mystery forever.