Embroidered Worlds: Rebozos of New Spain

Detail of Shawl (Rebozo), early 19th CenturyUnknown Maker; Manila or Mexico City, Viceroyalty of New SpainSilk and sequins; 82 x 30 in.2379Gift of Dona Magdalena Murillo A Small World After All We live today in a global society. The produce we eat, the clothes we wear, and the technology we use on a daily basis all might have been produced or assem...

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Brimming with Dance: Sombreros of the Bowers Museum

Sombreros, c. 1900Unknown Maker; MexicoFelt, cotton, straw, sequins and horsehairF78.44.3a,eBowers Museum Purchase Return of the FifthThough often confused as being a celebration of Mexican independence from Spain, Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) marks the victory of the Mexican army over a much larger colonial force from Napoleonic France. The holiday is ...

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Coils and Swamp Oils: Baskets of the Emberá-Wounaan

Miniature Basket (Hösig Di), mid to late 20th CenturyEmberá or Wounaan culture; Darién Province, PanamaPalm fibers (astrocaryum standleyanum and carludovica palmata) and natural pigments; 2 x 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 in.2020.9.53Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Oh, What an Untangled Baskets They Weave Over the globe various basketry techniques are employed to...

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The Tooled Trunk: A Leatherwork Chest from the Viceroyalty of Peru

Chest, 17th to 18th CenturyPeruLeather, wood and iron; 20 1/2 x 36 x 19 3/4 in.2020.1.1aGift of The Nesselrod Family Trunk Show Luggage is probably most on the mind when you’ve been told by an airline that it’s just barely oversized and that you’ll have to check it, but its history dates as far back as human migration. Longtime visitors to the Bowe...

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The Immaculate ‘Art of Mary

Detail of Heart of Mary, c. 1750Miguel Ballejo y Mandirano; MexicoOil on canvas; 30 x 22 in.89.22.2Donated by Mr. Gene R. Wood Feast of the Hurt Pain is an awful thing. It can come from a variety of sources, but it is perhaps most punishing when it attacks us through a loved one. The Christian faith is in part based around the suffering and self-sa...

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Kingdom of the Quartz Skull

Izok, 2010Harold Van Pelt (American, 1925-)Quartz and izoklakeiteL.2016.21.34a,bLoan courtesy of Harold and Erica Van Pelt© 2010 Harold and Erica Van PeltVan PeltOne need not be an explorer-archaeologist to come across incredible artifacts. For experts like Harold Van Pelt they can be made in the workshop. Van Pelt has spent the last 45 years maste...

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