Browse Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Jackson Jr., George O. |
Caption |
Comanches |
Collection |
TMA |
Credit Line |
Gift of the Torch Collection, Houston, Texas |
Culture |
Mexico |
Date |
1994 |
Description |
A first fruits festival of the Nahua (Mexica, Aztec) culture. The Mexica, or Aztecs, gave Mexico its name. Particularly extraordinary in their faithfulness to the ceremonial calendar are the people of Zitlala, who are mostly descendants of ancestors who manned a Mexica military garrison there, one of many established along the trade routes or pochteca, by the empire to enforce, ensure and protect the production and payment of tribute. There are also major ancient Olmec sites in this immediate area which are also relevant to the people's history. Two people in yellow faced masks and headpieces with red badanas and flowers covering them. Fiesta San Nicolas Tolentino, Zitlala, Guerrero George O. Jackson de llano's background in Mexican culture has had a major influence on his photography. In the 1970s, Jackson travelled frequently to the jungles of southern Mexico in search of rare palms and cycads. There he came in close contact with indigenous communities, which ignited interest in the people and their traditional customs and festivals. Jackson's major photographic work, The Essence of Mexico Project, was a decade-long project to document the seasonal religious festivals-the syncretic rites and dances, costumes, masks, and ephemeral art-of the indigenous people, many of whom are still practicing traditions and honoring gods that date back to the advent of agriculture. Jackson was educated at the Riverside Military Academy in Georgia and at the University of Texas at Austin, he has spent much of his life traveling, visiting, and photographing in Mexico. |
Medium |
Photographic print |
Material |
Photographic print |
Catalog Number |
2006.17.063 |
Title |
Comanches |