Learn about Mae Delgado’s award winning exhibition of recreated pre-Hispanic clay instruments based on pieces found inside of tombs in the state of Jalisco and Western Mexico, currently on display at Centro Cultural Vallartense through Día de los Muertos!
Just in time for Día de los Muertos, the Centro Cultural Vallartense ("CCV") has once again opened its doors for an exceptional exhibition by local artist and well-respected art teacher, Mae Delgado. On October 20th, "El Barro Suena" opened with a pre-Hispanic themed party, honoring the subject of the exhibition and opening up the season for Día de los Muertos.
According to Doctor María de los Ángeles Olay Barrientos (Centro INAH Colima), "The tradition of the Tumbas de Tiro (Tombs of Tyre) is a cultural expression that developed from the Late Preclassic (200 BC) to the Early Classic (400 AD) in Western Mesoamerica, in the states of Nayarit, Colima, Jalisco, and Michoacán, as well as an eastern portion of the Sierra Madre Occidental (Zacatecas). High-ranking deceased were deposited in them along with offerings that would facilitate their passage to the world of the dead."
The exhibit is the winning project of the Consejo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes de Jalisco (State Council for Culture and the Arts of Jalisco), and as a result, it was brought to reality with the support of the government of Jalisco. It includes a variety of intricately crafted clay instruments with the objective of making "a series of contemporary ceramic pieces through the reinterpretation of pre-Hispanic sound instruments...And through this exercise of creation and rescue, preserve the technique of creating these instruments."
Delgado continues, "Developing the project El Barro Suena (The Mud Sounds) has given me the opportunity to enter a path full of pleasant surprises and has stoked my curiosity and my imagination about how our ancestors came to develop the technology to model and create the whistles, those whistles that require a precise angle for the vibration to occur at the moment of the shock of the air and as magic the sound that is magnified in the soundbox of the whistle is produced. During the process of making whistles, ocarinas and flutes, I realized that many of the shapes and sounds emulated birds and animals and, in the case of some ocarinas, are beautifully decorated with geometric shapes. Within these decoration processes, some pieces on which I based my research were made with burnished clay and colored with oxides and sgraffitoes... Technically, each variation in size gives a different resonance and larger sound. The small ocarinas sound like small birds and each hole and position generate a different sound. How long did it take you to get all this knowledge in such a beautiful form and sound?"
The opening party for the exhibit included an acoustic drum set by local musician, Kim Alef Nahum. Nahum commented, "It is very interesting to know where these antiques come from and how they are made. I am still amazed by the fact that at that time they had the knowledge of the resonance and design of those pieces."
One such tourist, Jose Armendariz, an Agronomist on vacation from El Paso, Texas, USA, found out about the exhibit "while walking by the cultural center." He said the "exhibition was awesome, the hostess (artist Mae Delgado) was very knowledgeable on the subject. Loved it." And didn't leave until he had a few good photos with Delgado next to the bonfire.
Another guest, Mariana Garcia, a recent transplant originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, is a seasoned cultural manager. Garcia said, "The exhibition struck me as very welcoming yet profound. The pieces convey a rich historical, cultural, and spiritual background of the local ancestors of Jalisco, which, beyond being inspiring, preserves and keeps alive a culture of a civilization with little recorded history, evoking significant cultural value."
Garcia continued, "The opening celebration was very welcoming and filled with tradition, music, and elements, from the bonfire, drum music, pre-Hispanic Mexican food, and the rain; it added a touch that was in line with what Mae Delgado was trying to convey."
"El Barro Suena," which includes an installation showing what one of the pre-Hispanic tombs may have looked like, will be open through Día de los Muertos and will culminate with a closing party on the evening of November 2, 2023. It will also be open for the highly anticipated second annual Isla de los Muertos Festival, happening on the east end of Isla Cuale on November 1st from 4pm-10pm, benefitting the work Amigos de la Isla Cuale and the Vallarta Garden Club do to maintain the beloved island. The festival features live music from some of the best entertainers in Vallarta in both Spanish and English, as well as food, drinks, face painting, an open microphone and more.
The Centro Cultural Vallartense, known lovingly by many as the “CCV”, is the oldest cultural center in Puerto Vallarta, which has operated as an independent, volunteer-run forum for culture for more than 3 decades. The CCV is located on the east end of Isla Cuale, to the left of the government-run cultural offices. For the Isla de los Muertos Festival, in addition to the exhibit, the bar and garden at the CCV will be open with food, drinks, an ofrenda. The CCV will also have art on sale to help support local artists as well as the work the cultural center does to serve the local community.
We’ll see you there November 1st and 2nd!
Learn more about the Centro Cultural Vallartense: https://www.flowvallarta.com/centroculturalvallartense
Follow the CCV on Facebook for updates: http://facebook.com/centroculturalvallartense
RSVP for the Isla de los Muertos Festival & Learn More about the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/691893378941031
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