Join curator Laura Filloy Nadal on a tour through ancient Nayarit house models, offering a unique window into life in West Mexico between 100 BCE and 200 CE. Explore detailed scenes of village life, feasting, and community gatherings, that share details of the traditions that shaped the lives of those who lived in what is now the state of Nayarit. As part of this tour, we uncover a previously “hidden” room—an element that reveals an important aspect of these models: they were built from the inside out. It does not matter that the viewer, ancient or modern, cannot see every element; it matters that they are there. These models reconstruct the world of the living, to create one for the dead.
Featured artwork:
House Model, 100 BCE–200 CE
Nayarit, Mexico
Ceramic and pigment, H. 12 in. (30.5 cm)
Gift of Joanne P. Pearson, in memory of Andrall E. Pearson, 2015 (2015.306)
House Model, 300 BCE–300 CE
Nayarit, Mexico
Ceramic and pigment, H. 12 in. (30.3 cm)
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.359)
Villiage Scene, 300 BCE–300 CE
Nayarit, Mexico
Ceramic and pigment, H. 6 1/4 x Diam. 8 in. (15.9 x 20.3 cm)
From the Collection of Nina and Gordon Bunshaft, Bequest of Nina Bunshaft, 1994 (1995.63.4)
