How to Create Your Own Mexican Museum

If you live in Mexico, depending on one’s interests, budget, space, collector’s passion, and creativity, it is very easy, fun, and interesting to create your own “Mexican museum.” “My” bare-beamed, slanted high-ceilinged, bare-bulbed, two-toned brightly painted room and its contents is illustrative of such a multi-state and multi-region “museum.” It is part artifact, part natural history, part traditional household items/tools, and, of course, as this is what Mexico excels in, part arts and crafts.

Visible from the street, behind an ornamental wrought iron window, displayed on a large windowsill, are es lo mejor de lo mejor/the best of the best of the, at least, 500 year-old obsidian artifacts that I have found in the hills, dry creeks, and trails of Churintzio and Zinaparo. They include arrowheads, spearheads, tools of many kinds, and decorative items. However, the crown jewels of this indigenous knapped volcanic glass collection are the three figurines that I have discovered: an owl; a snakes head; and a sitting dog.

On dressers and cabinets are select specimens of rocks, minerals, fossils, and shells-some purchased and others found. From the mineral rich state of Chihuahua are polished and rough pieces of agate, calcite, red garnet, and geodes. Emanating from Queretaro are samples of fire opal, green quartz, exquisitely patterned river rocks, and fossilized shells. Coming from beach areas are large conch shells from Baja California Sur, fossilized and iridescent shells from Manzanillo,Colima, and San Blas, Nayarit shells. Featured is a showpiece pair of large glittery red quartz geodes from Zacatecas.

Locally, there are many pieces that I have discovered: found in Zinaparo, rough specimens of black, brown, rainbow, green, mahogany, silver sheen, and gold sheen obsidian; from a geyser area near Zamora, rare pieces of petrified wood. Fabricated by my friend Guillermo, a Zinaporan craftsman and the leading local artifact collector, are polished obsidian cabachons, eggs, and arrowheads. Rounding out the “museums’” natural history collection are pine cones from Mazamitla and Tapalpa,Jalisco, uniquely preserved samples of nopal/cactus and maguey, and cow vertebrae utilized as bookends.

The “museums’” household collection features an antique wood and metal studded chest, a large wooden tortilla press, and a huge stone metate and molcajete, all “inherited” from the parents of my wife, Maria. Moreover, there is a wooden manger, a floral-patterned wood and palm tortilla basket, and three styles of "cowboy" sombreros. The tools and such are highlighted by various sizes of metal machetes, a powderhorn made from a cows’ horn, an oak walking stick with a carved deers’ head, and a burros “horseshoe.” Oops, I almost forgot to mention in a separate area are 3 years worth of religious and historical calendars handed out by local merchants draping the walls.

Far and away , the largest exhibit is comprised of arts and crafts. There is a woven basket filled with 15 types of paper machet tropical fruits and a ceramic basket containing 12 kinds of paper mache pan dulce/sweet breads. Adorning the walls are a myriad of crafts: 7 large clay pots hanging from a yoke; a strand of brightly colored assorted ceramic chiles; a strand of baskets with rice and 6 kinds of beans; and a strand of ceramic green chayotes purchased in the inexpensive craft mecca of Tonala, Jalisco; a textile depicting nopal, made in Bernal, Queretaro; a round wooden clock with sections filled with corn and beans purchased in Zamora; a maguey fibre shopping bag and a viejecito/old man marionette from Morelia; a ceramic frog, crab, and lizard from Queretaro; a traditional star-shaped pinata made from a clay pot from La Piedad; from Colima, a paper machet owl on a wooden perch; a rainbow palm fan from Tapalpa, Jalisco; and from Mazamitla, Jalisco there is a log cabin, a wooden typical kitchen, and a dove symbolizing a rising holy spirit painted on a log. On the walls are also a Mexican-style wooden mirror, a painting of the “kissing alley” in Guanajuato, and a painting of a rustic village scene.

Additionally, on the dressers are even more crafts. There is a copper bell from Santa Clara del Cobre and a ceramic pineapple from San Jose de Gracia, two locales in Michoacan known for those crafts. Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato is represented by a Talavera-ware frog while Uruapan and Quiroga, Michoacan are represented by 10 wooden fruit and vegetable napkin holders. Day of the Dead sugar skulls are also included in the exhibit. Lastly, the “museum” has a metallic turkey and rooster along with a ceramic wishing well purchased at a Christmas tianguis in La Piedad.

To Maria’s incredulity (if not her consternation), my Mexican “museum” is still a work in progress. Despite her protestations that “there is no room for anything else,” with a little imagination on my part there is still muchas mas room for future expansion! After all, aren't there still many states and other regions that should be included in the various collections! Mexico has so very much to offer "museum-wise" and wouldn’t I being doing the country a great disservice if I did not honor it by finding or purchasing even more of its “national treasures." Or, at least, that is how my rationalization goes...