Tlacaelel

Alebrije (colored Mexican folk art sculptures) by Alejandro Zamudio R. (The Night of The Alebrijes exhibition)

Tlacaelel I (1397 – 1487) was the principal architect of the Aztec Triple Alliance and hence the Mexica (Aztec) empire. He was the son of Emperor Huitzilihuitl and Queen Cacamacihuatl, nephew of Emperor Itzcoatl, and brother of Emperors Chimalpopoca and Moctezuma I.

Tlacaelel recast or strengthened the concept of the Aztecs as a chosen people, elevated the tribal god/hero Huitzilopochtli to top of the pantheon of gods, and increased militarism. 

To strengthen the Aztec nobility, he helped create and enforce sumptuary laws, prohibiting commoners from wearing certain adornments such as lip plugs, gold armbands, and cotton cloaks. He also instigated a policy of burning the books of conquered peoples with the aim of erasing all memories of a pre-Aztec past.

When he dedicated the seventh reconstruction of the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan, Tlacaelel had brought his nation to the height of its power. The dedication took place in 1484 and was celebrated with the sacrifice of many war captives. After Tlacaelel's death in 1487, the Mexica Empire continued to expand north into the Gran Chichimeca and south toward the Maya lands.

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Museum of Popular Art III

"The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes."

– Marcel Proust

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Museum of Popular Art II

“To see we must forget the name of the thing we are looking at.”
- Claude Monet

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Museum of Popular Art I

The Museo de Arte Popular (Museum of Popular Art) is an institution dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Mexican handcrafts and folk art. Located in the Historic Center of Mexico City, in an old firehouse, the museum has a collection which includes textiles, pottery, glass, piñatas, alebrijes, furniture and much more. However, the museum best known as the sponsor of the yearly, Noche de Alebrijes (Night of The Alebrijes) parade in which the fantastical creatures are constructed on a monumental scale and then paraded from the main plaza or Zocalo to the Angel of Independence monument, competing for prizes.

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"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about."

– Albert Einstein

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Thanks for visiting, please be sure that I read each and every one of your kind comments, I appreciate them all. Stay tuned.