Museo de Arte Popular

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"Mexico is a vastly multilingual and multiethnic country, where thousands of different indigenous folk traditions meld with Spanish colonial influences and modernism to create a distinctive culture that can be extremely difficult to categorize. As such it has one of the richest traditions of folk art (or as it is sometimes literally translated from Spanish, “popular art”) in the world.  The Museo de Arte Popular embraces these uniquely Mexican crafts, displaying some of the weirdest and most wonderful religious articles, dioramas, monsters, skeletons, piñatas, and pottery you are likely to see anywhere. Octavio Paz famously wrote about the legendary treatment of death in Mexican culture: “The Mexican chases after death, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, and sleeps with it. He thinks of it as his favorite plaything and his most lasting love.” Whether or not this is broadly true, the Museo de Arte Popular demonstrates the cultural importance of death in the country, and especially the Día de Muertos, through folk art traditions around the country. Skulls and skeleton figures of all sizes, shapes, and materials abound in the collection, and the museum hosts special celebrations on the Day of the Dead.  The brightly lit main atrium of the museum also features a wall decorated by a jumble of alebrijes, gigantic and fantastical animal figures like flies with dragon tails and multi-headed lions, all painted with neon colors. Once a year, the museum puts on a carnival-like parade of these sculptures. Alebrijes were created by Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares. They are also very popular in the southern state of Oaxaca, whose artisans still make some of the largest and most outlandish sculptures for the parade. If you are walking down Mexico City’s monumental Paseo de la Reforma in October and encounter a parade of psychedelic papier-mâché creatures marching towards you, just know the Museo de Arte Popular is responsible." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

"A feast of Mexican Folk Art There is so much to see and do in Mexico City , but this place should be on the itinerary of anyone interested in the incredibly varied world of Mexican folk art. The space is spacious and bright, which means the vibrant colors of, well, everything, really pop. Embroidery, papier-mâché figures, ceramics, fantastical wooden alebrijes--the whole country is represented. It makes you realize how rich and diverse Mexico 's artistic traditions are. The museum is not overwhelming (unlike, say, the awesome anthropology museum). It's a nice hour or so, close to the historic center. But give yourself time to browse the gift shop."

"Housed in a beautifully restored Art Deco building in the Centro Histórico, this museum is home to Mexican folk handicrafts and textiles from around the country. It's a nicely manageable museum and a great place to bring kids, with weekend workshops that teach everything from paper maché to how to make amate paper. Don't miss the museum shop, which is one of the best places to find quality regional crafts."

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"The Folk Art Museum (Museo de Arte Popular), located in a white Art Deco building in the historic center of Mexico City, focuses on the diversity of folk art and handicrafts in Mexico, showcasing pieces that range from pottery to textiles and everything in between. It's a great place to learn more about the indigenous peoples of Mexico through their creative works. There are usually two or three non-permanent exhibitions running concurrently. They all focus on handicrafts, some delve deeper into a particular craft or material and others focus on how a theme is represented throughout Mexico. The museum is well known for organizing an annual night parade of large carved figures called alebrijes." - Susannah Rigg

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"While in downtown Mexico City, I visited the Museo de Arte Popular for its piñata exhibition, one of the cultural landmarks I toured during the week." - Lilah Ramzi