I have just gained some insight into a mask in my collection that, when I initially purchased it, was told it was African in design. It has however been pointed out by a Filipino friend that it is not African but that it is from the Philippines and represents a mythical serpent spirit known as Bakunawa (1). The Philippines (officially the Republic of the Philippines) … Continue reading Mi Mascaras : The Bakunawa
This last Saturday 26th October 2024 the Friends of Mexico held a celebration of Dia de Muertos for the people of Perth in Western Australia. The event was sponsored by the West Australian Museum as part of their cultural exchange program Boola Bardip (Many Stories) Dia de Muertos is a time of celebration and remembrance amongst the peoples of Latin America and is celebrated in … Continue reading FOMEX and Dia de Muertos 2024
It is that time of year again. The days are waning, the nights are cooling (well they would be if I was Northern hemispherical) and my feeds are filling up with the autumnal imagery of this season of spirits. The boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead fluctuate and bleed into each other and we welcome the memories of those who have … Continue reading Cempasúchil and Popocatepetl
Purchased online (through eBay) as a gift for my birthday in 2024 The seller advertised the piece as being An extremely beautiful work of ancient mesoamerican religious art, carved in a very nice deep green “Chalchihuitl” (1) Jade Stone and notes that this item……DEPICTS A VERY CLASSIC TEOTIHUACAN CULTURE JADE FACE WITH ITS RITUAL NOSEPLUG. It was 100% handcarved from a deep green Jade Stone … Continue reading Mascara de Xochipilli?
First. Some definitions (Max if you are reading this I apologise in advance). I am not a seagoing man (and, much to the chagrin of many a family member, nor am I even an avid fisherman – I am a cook though so bring me your fish, cackers and abalone and I’ll do something with those). Personally I think that with all the krakens and … Continue reading The Tallship Cuauhtémoc
This Post is the 4th in a series resulting from a presentation I made at the WA Museum in Perth Western Australia as one of a series of talks presented by the Friends of Mexico (FOMEX) in W.A. My original talk was only a brief one as I was only allotted 60 minutes for my presentation which, once I started researching the subject, I realised … Continue reading This is Mexico : Building a Country : The Architecture of Mexico : Part 4 : Vecindades
This Post was part of a series of seminars delivered at Boola Bardip The West Australian Museum in Perth (Western Australia por supuesto) on Saturday the 10th of August 2024 as part of the Friends of Mexico’s (FOMEX) 2024 series (our 3rd series so far). Previous lectures in this series included…. …….with the final in the series to be delivered by Ernesto Martinez (the maestro … Continue reading This is Mexico : Building a Country : The Architecture of Mexico : Part 1
The beverage, bate, is a traditional beverage of the state of Colima made from toasted and ground chan, beaten with water and sweetened with honey or a kind of molasses prepared from piloncillo, or hard brown sugar. The chan seed is an interesting pseudograin that hails originally from the Mexican state of Colima. Suchitlán is a small town around 20 kilometres outside of the state … Continue reading Prehispanic Drinks – Bate
I would like to look at some interesting information regarding a little known (to me) statue of Xochipilli that has recently been mentioned by two history related sites (1)(2) The Posts I speak of. via Tetzcoco Prehispánico on Facebook SCULPTURE OF XOCHIPILLI, HUEXOTLA. Image: Wilhelm Bauer 1901 – 1910 This beautiful tezontle (1) stone sculpture, from Huexotla (2), State of Mexico, measures 15.5 x 11 … Continue reading Xochipilli and the Zapote
I have posted on the herb chipilin previously and noted both its culinary and medicinal uses. Check this out at Quelite : Chipilin : Crotalaria longirostrata I want to expand upon my original Post with some cultural background on the herb and a legend on the creation of the plant. Many plants have creation myths, usually involving death, violence and/or a tragic love story, and … Continue reading Ixchel and the Legend of Chepil
Masa Americana 