Clich Here to Return Home

The Jalapa Museum of Anthropology

Anne Kiehl and Dave Krieg

Jalapa, the capital of Veracruz State on the Gulf of Mexico Coast, is a University city slightly to the interior and in the cooler highlands.  We had heard from people who didn't even much like museums, that seeing its Museum of Anthropology was a must. 

The museum was designed by Edward Stone, the architect who designed Lincoln Center in NY City.  Built in 1986, the museum is a long, low grey stone, L-shaped building.  It covers almost 100,000 square feet, surrounded by a lovely botanical garden in grounds of more than 5 times that area.  The high ceilings, roofed patios, and abundant open spaces bring light into the six spacious galleries.  These descend down a gentle slope, as though you were moving down through each time period.  Thousands of artifacts are displayed representing the three major cultures of ancient Veracruz State.

600 AD and reached it's prime as the classic Veracruz civilization between 900 AD & 1100 AD.  The Pyramid of the 365 Niches, with one recess for each day of the year, and the seven ball courts are a couple of the outstanding features of this 25 sq meter ruin.

3rd  The Huastec civilization developed along the Gulf of the Mexico coast along the river

system west of Tampico between 1000 BC  1500 AD.  Their social structure at the time was comparable to cultures in Guatemala and Honduras. They painted their temples with murals in black, ocher, brown, red, and white and covered them with sandstone sculptured of human figures, birds, and serpents.  The Huastecs loved colored clothes and jewelry and dyed their hair red and yellow.  In the 15th century Aztecs began a 60 year military campaign which almost destroyed the Huastec culture.  Many were made slaves.

We spent the entire day at this splendid museum. There was so much to see it was overwhelming.  Two days would have been more rewarding and less tiring.  Our only regret was the paucity of English-language descriptions and explanations.  Although it's scope is limited to the three cultures based in Veracruz, we found it almost as impressive as the famous National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. 

(Note: these 2 pictures were taken by Jeanne Nordgaard)

1st The Olmec material from Southern Veracruz.  The Olmecs, Mexico's first great civilization, began between 1800 BC - 1000 BC.  Their religion included cults of the cave, the World Tree, and jaguars.  By 1200 BC  400 BC their rulers had captured the surrounding villages and commemorated their victories by carving  colossal stone heads depicting dead chieftains.  The museum has seven such heads, including the only one ever found that was smiling.  The largest is 9 feet high and weights 27 tons. 

2nd The Totonacs, who developed a regional center about 100 AD with the beginning of El Tajin, in northern Veracruz.  Building continued from 300 AD to

When we had visited the El Tajin ruin we enjoyed the spectacular  ancient dance of the Voladores (Flying Men) originated by the Totonacs.  Five men colorfully dressed in red pants, handsome boots, beaded aprons and colored hats decorated with mirrors and plumes climb a 100 foot pole.  One man sits on a tiny platform at the very top and plays a flute.  The other four men attach ropes to their ankles  the ends of the ropes are attached to the top of the pole.  They all pray to the rain gods and pay tribute to the four cardinal directions: N, E, S, W.  Then the men fall over backwards and upside down and seem to fly.  As the ropes unwind, the men make 13 broad circles in the sky, corresponding to the 13 months of the Aztec calendar.  They spin down from the pole and gracefully touch ground just before they would crash into it.  Thrilling!