The Putnam Museum and Science Center will feature a temporary exhibit entitled “Indigenous Roots of Mexican Americans” in its World Culture Gallery. The exhibit opens on Saturday, March 22, at the Davenport museum at 1717 W. 12th St.
The exhibit was developed by the museum’s curatorial staff. The artifacts and textiles from areas in Mexico are featured along with 250,000 objects in the Putnam’s collections, the museum said in a news release.
It explores Indigenous and pre-Hispanic ancestry that exists within many Quad Citizens. It also traces this shared heritage back 20,000 years to early examples of hunter gatherers on the continent.
For example, the agricultural history of maize (corn) and its effect on the creation of large cities and civic infrastructure, such as canals and pressurized water systems, is detailed.
Christina Kastell, the Putnam’s curator of history and anthropology, said in the release “This exhibit represents the ancestry of many of our Mexican American neighbors, so it is really exciting to be able to make this connection in our community.”
Cultural milestones and developments also are listed. They include mathematics, chocolate, chewing gum, body armor, domesticated turkeys, and metallurgy. The exhibit features full outfits and dresses alongside artifacts crucial to early Indigenous cultures.
If you go
The temporary exhibit opens as the Putnam hosts Mysteries of the Mayan Medallion, an Indiana Jones inspired exhibit that runs through June 1.
The museum is open seven days a week. For more information, visit www.putnam.org.
The more than 150-year-old museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. Its mission is to bring to life a sense of place, time and purpose to ignite human potential and inspire our diverse community to learn about and care for our world and all its people.
The Putnam’s permanent exhibits range from Unearthing Ancient Egypt to our family-favorite science galleries. It also as an array of programs and internationally recognized traveling exhibits. For more information about events and exhibits, visit putnam.org.
