Refuting "Noble Savages": Reflections of Nature in Ancient Mesoamerican Artifacts through September 13, 2019 at the Fine Arts Gallery of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee
Refuting "Noble Savages": Reflections of Nature in Ancient Mesoamerican Artifacts through September 13, 2019 at the Fine Arts Gallery of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. "The heat of sunrise and the growing rumble of jungle life signals morning. It is harvest time, and the smell of corn stalks being cut and removed from the chinampas is refreshing. Women chatter as they begin dyeing large bundles of agave fiber deep red, using the cochineal beetle, while men begin practicing in the nearby ball field, surrounded by the jungle on one side and market stalls on the other. Children run past, throwing a rubber ball to friends, their varied skull shapes signaling their varied progress in achieving the conical definition as a tribute to the corn goddess. This—the sounds, sights, and smells—is just a small glimpse into the daily life in Mesoamerica." The artifacts on view in this exhibit come from different areas in Mexico and Central America and elucid...