fuckyeaharthistorystuff-blog

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Alongside Yoshua, other artists native to Mexico City are finding success in the midst of political unrest. Their works range from sculpture and photography to cinematic production and graphic design. 

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YOSHUA OKON:

“Freedom Fries” (2014) is an installation that displays the current state of the human condition. 

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The artistic world in Latin America is flourishing....under the watchful eye of the government. Although there are more individuals expressing their creativity and displaying their talents, the political world keeps new artists under their thumb in order to “keep order” in the community. 

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Since Frida was such an influential figure, even her recipes for mole are considered part of a collection that belongs in a museum. 

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Frida and Diego: In The Kitchen

Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera are an iconic couple in the Latin American art community. In addition to being successful artists, they were involved in radical community causes and were very passionate about cultivating a love for ones homeland. They often expressed this through their cooking and extravagant events in which they served guests masses of homemade dishes. 

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LATIN AMERICAN CUISINE.

Life in the kitchen is a very important part of Latin American culture. Cooking helps express identity and tradition, and it brings families together in a positive environment. Mole is a traditional dish that is often revered as special. It is served on special occasions, and it is a combination of ingredients from all over the world that somehow still manages to remain true to Latin American customs.

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Jade and important ancient Mayan Resources in relation to Ancient Mayan city states 

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The Social Hierarchy of the Ancient Maya

Complex history of social stratification, no one theory as to exactly how it was stratified It changed over time and evolved throughout the classic and the late classic maya Complex and multi layered society, much different from the early theory of Priest-Peasant Model Rulers at the top, and the common maya were existing at the bottom, some were in fact peasants It can be said that  any one layer of this pyramid can be home to a range of multiple occupations, not one single layer of merchants, or priests It allowed for Many specialists, existing  within these layers to have full time jobs not existing as both an administrator and a crafts person, the social pyramid did allow for specialization to occur but as evidence an elite did have multiple roles Early classic period access to imported goods such as jade was open to all sections of society, but by late classic maya the possession of jade was limited to a select few This is evidence of stronger social stratification in the late classic maya Jade went from jewelry of those who could afford it, to the jewel and gem that only a select few were entitled to possess in the late classic period

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The Jade economy

They  most likely collected olmec jades (blue jades) however these were very rare( found in early classic context)   Jade was the literal embodiment of preciousness Only used in the finest carvings, indicating a much higher intrinsic value Commonality: Beads(most common) Jade beads possibly served as a form of currency (unlike today’s idea of currency) status of an object was derived from the crafter and the Possessor of said objects, the coloring, the weight, and other attributes of the stone Values deeply entrenched with an individual's interaction with an object worked jades have been discovered ceremonially broken or burned with copal, evidence found within a cenote Extremely rare cases of carved anthropomorphic figures on jade, Trade was controlled by the mayan elites and traded over long distances, the longer the distance the higher the value it was given

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Jade was the material embodiment of wind, and the vitalization of the breath spirit and soul. The jade ear spools served as passageways for the breath spirit, which is portrayed as a bead or a serpent emerging from the flare Was immensely important in funerary rituals and summoning the dead or spirits from the underworld, as well as serving different roles in death, (evidenced from jade found in elite burials, and ritual spaces

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The Leiden Plaque

It is a Jade Celt, meant to be worn horizontally on a belt,

Horizontal Celts were representative of earth in comparison to vertical celts which were representative of the sky (Maya stelae)

engraved with an Image of a great ruler

Serves as a mini-monument to the ruler in which it is engraved with 

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DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

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The Day of the Dead

Celebrated on November 2nd, Dia de los muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a celebration that originated in Mexico but is recognized all across Latin America.

The celebration is full of lively dancing, homemade food, and activities that celebrate life. The Latin American community views death as a continuum of birth, it is a natural process that should be celebrated once a loved one moves on into their next phase of existence.

On Dia de los muertos, the deceased awaken to celebrate with their loved ones again.

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THE SUGAR SKULL The tradition of the sugar skull began with the integration of Italian missionaries in the 17th century. Catholic Churches used sugar figures to adorn the sides of alters, mostly depicting lambs and angels. Mexico, a poorer country who could not afford to buy fancier imported decorations, adopted this tradition as their own. Since the country was rich in sugar, they began to hand carve intricate skulls. These skulls were carved individually, and were often carved with a name in the forehead. They were used to represent the souls of departed, and were decorated to show the personality of the deceased they were honoring.

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THE VOYAGE HOME

Community members decorate their homes, bodies, and graves of loved ones with colorful flowers and clothing, showing the vibrance that still exists in life after death.

Families of the deceased use this day to bring offerings of flowers, food, and momentous to the grave site. Often, the living will give an offering of food to nourish their loved ones on their journey back to the underworld.

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MAYAN JADE

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Jades relation to mayan kingship

To show prestige and power many nobles would inlay their own teeth with jade, a rather grueling process Jade had such a large intrinsic value that even the scraps were cut for mosaics, for the teeth of maya lords, among other things Would adorn themselves in jade to show as a symbol of their power, and prestige and nobility status, connecting themselves with the gods,  and centrality These served as markers of status not only because they were rare precious stones but also because they were apart of an elite trade network that spanned miles across the mayan kingdom Royal headband adorned with 3 jade beads and a deity that embodied ritual cloth(possibly paper) important for succession kings known as (the sak-hu’nal) Reinforced the idea that the king was divine, sacred and that he had deeply rooted connections with the gods and the mayan concept of centrality and serves as an axis mundi