“Hilos y recuerdos: Heritage and Tradition of the Yucatán Península”

The National Institute of Anthropology and History and the Regional Museum of Anthropology Palacio Cantón announce the opening of the exhibition “Threads and memories. Heritage, Custom, and Tradition of the Yucatan Peninsula ”.

The inauguration will take place on Saturday, May 29 at 10 am at the Museo Palacio Cantón, on Paseo de Montejo.

Merida Yucatan. – Customs and traditions are a vital part of daily life in Mexico and in Yucatan, they have their particularities, and from a heritage point of view, a great cultural wealth.

In the Regional Museum of Anthropology of Yucatán, Palacio Cantón, we always seek to be a space for dissemination and at the same time, support and encourage these traditions to stay alive, that it is given the right value. For this reason, the Museum will be able to enjoy the exhibition “Threads and memories. Heritage, custom and tradition in the Yucatan Peninsula ”, which will be located on one side of the building, on the sidewalk of Paseo de Montejo.

The exhibition brings together more than 30 photographs that invite you to take a historical-chronological journey of embroidery, from pre-Hispanic times to the present day. The exhibition is made up to promote this important heritage and collaborate in keeping it alive.

In the images, you can see the diversity of types of embroidery, by hand and by machine, that is made in various communities of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. Of particular relevance is the embroidery called X’manikté as it is at risk of disappearing due to the small number of people who still use it.

The use of typical garments is still present in daily, community, and festive activities, geometric designs full of symbolism continue to be embroidered, related to the worldview and the directions of the universe, flowers and birds are recreated, but it is not a static process, new patterns and new ways of expression emerge constantly from the hands of the Yucatecan artisans.

At present, the daily use of hipil has declined, especially in urban areas, but embroidery is still alive in clothing such as blouses, dresses, guayaberas, and scarves. Embroidery is currently the livelihood and source of income for many families.

The photographs reflect the gaze of various visual artists, researchers and passionate about stories: Silvia Carrillo, Pim Schalkwijk, Lavive Massa Geded, Alejandra Tah, Jimena Horta, Maritza Yeh, Miguel Durán, Michael Covián and Jason Bluff.

This photographic exhibition joins the efforts of the audiovisual narrative installation by Elena Martínez Bolio “A long thread”, located on the top floor of the museum, which seeks to rescue the tradition of embroidery, and the ancestral worldview in the local Maya indigenous communities.

The Palacio Cantón Museum is a safe space, it has safety and hygiene protocols that allow us to take care of everyone’s health. The working hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The invitation to visit it and enjoy the cultural heritage that it protects and displays in its exhibitions remains open. Currently, on the ground floor, visitors can admire the temporary exhibition “The visible word, Mayan hieroglyphic writing.”

Press release issued by