Categorías
Uncategorized

Bicentenario y Serpientes Emplumadas 3

Los olmecas y el jaguar

Jaguar, espíritu de la selva, corazón de la montaña, alma de los montes. Eres tú el padre primordial de aquel pueblo misterioso que amaneció hace más de tres mil años en la región del hule, en la región de los Tuxtlas, frente a las costas del Golfo de México.

Jaguar, eres el ancestro primordial del pueblo olmeca, la primera civilización del México Antiguo. Jaguar, eres espejo de obsidiana donde la serpiente emplumada se vio reflejada.

***

Los olmecas,  hombres-jaguar son el origen de la tradición mesoamericana y si bien sus principales centros ceremoniales y ciudades se encuentran en el sur de Veracruz y parte de Tabasco (San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes) su influencia es evidente en todo el territorio mesoamericano.

Maestros escultores de piedra, los olmecas son los primeros en México que trabajan el verde jade, y se les conoce por las fascinantes cabezas colosales:  retratos de gobernantes, chamanes o jugadores de pelota. Consumieron el chocolate de manera ritual y tuvieron una relación fundamental con las cuevas, manantiales y montañas.

A pesar de que algunos los conocen como la “cultura madre” de Mesoamérica no sabemos ni siquiera quienes eran a ciencia cierta, no sabemos qué lengua hablaban (podría ser mixe o zoque) ni tampoco porque declinó su civilización allá por el 500 a.c. Sin embargo son el impulso inicial de las civilizaciones del México Antiguo.

Nos quedan sus impactantes obras de arte, que comunican esa visión del mundo, esa relación con el cosmos que perdura hasta hoy en los chamanes, graniceros y tiemperos que invocan a las nubes en las cuevas de cerros y volcanes. Otro de los orígenes de México, el ombligo de la Luna.

alberto.aveleyra@gmail.com

Categorías
Uncategorized

Instituto Allende presents Artisans of Time Lectures

Mexico: space of civilizations, time of creators.

Four Lectures in the Instituto Allende, February 2010

“We think that 2010 could be a cultural point of no return similar to the one that took place a hundred years ago. We can combine the creative forces toward new level of development, especially if we take advantage of the history and cultural diversity and of this country .”

The Artisans of Time is a four-part course consisting of lectures, in English, being held at Instituto Allende for two consecutive weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursday, February 2-4 and 9-11,  at 5:30 pm inside Instituto’s  James Pinto Gallery.

Giving the lectures is writer and anthropologist, Alberto Aveleyra, self-described further as a cultural agent and passionate world traveler. Aveleyra is keen on anthropological projects related with the heritage interpretation and relations between culture and tourism. He won the National Price of History on National Symbols.

1ST Lecture. Mexico in the origin of world civilizations

2nd Lecture. The Eagle and the Cactus tree in the imagination of men: Independence and Revolution

3rd Lecture. Diego Rivera and the cultural dimension of the Revolution.

4th Lecture. The Bicentenario: Identity, diversity, heritage, development and self consciousness in Mexico

Admission Fee for each lecture: $100 pesos (includes cocktail), entire course: $350 pesos

Artisans of Time is a cultural project. Its mission is to divulgate a worldview based in a humanistic and sustainable perspective.  Through applied anthropology projects we  contribute to the peace and understanding between local and world cultures while developing an economic development.

For Artisans of Time the Celebrations of the Independence and the Revolution points out a moment to stop to think  deeply what is Mexico, what has it been and the future trajectory of its social and cultural dynamics.

We think that 2010 could be a cultural point of no return similar as the one that took place a hundred years ago. We could take the creative forces into a new level of development, specially, if we take advantage of the history and cultural diversity and heritage of the country.

Artisans of Time started its San Miguel Project with a Lecture in the Museo Casa de Allende (September 2009) about the Meaning of the name of Mexico and its National coat of arms in the prehispanic worldview.

In 2010 we start with four lectures by Alberto Aveleyra  in the Instituto Allende:

1st México in the origin of world civilization.

It´s a lecture about the origin of civilization in Mexican territory with the Olmec culture

2nd The Eagle and the cactus tree: The coat of arms in the imagination of men, Independence and Revolution.

We would talk about the mesoamerican cosmological meaning of the Eagle and the cactus tree and then we´ll talk about its meaning for the Independence leaders and its artistic use in the Revolution of the XX century.

3rd Diego Rivera and the cultural dimensión of the Mexican Revolution.

We´ll stop on the Works and thought of Diego Rivera about mexican culture, his interpretation of Mexican History and his relation with prehispanic art.

4 th The Bicentenario: identity, diversity, heritage, development and self consciousness in Mexico.

A reflection on the different identity and cultural meanings of the 2010 Bicentenario, specially what it has to do with Mexican tangible and intangible heritage, and its relation with a sustainable development perspective.