Centro Cultural Mexiquense
Encyclopedia
Centro Cultural Mexiquense is a cultural center located on the western edge of the city of Toluca
in central Mexico
. The center is run by the State of Mexico government through an agency called the Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura (IMC), the largest and most important of this agency, receiving about 80,000 visitors a year. It contains the Museum of Anthropology and History, the Modern Art Museum and the Museum of Popular Cultures as well as a Central Public Library and the Historical Archives of the State of Mexico, as well as facilities for research.
The complex is located on part of the former San José de la Pila Hacienda, which was originally part of a Franciscan monastery called Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. This hacienda was one of the largest in the Valley of Toluca with large pasture for cattle and a fresh water spring which only recently has been open to the public. The hacienda came into the hands of the state in 1976. Part of the land, 177,989 hectares, was dedicated to the cultural center. The main architect of the project was Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, who designed the museums. The center was inaugurated in 1987 the three major museums and a collection of art and cultural objects donated by regional centers, museums, libraries, arts festival and individual families. Much of the grounds remain open and contain some of the original hacienda buildings along with about seventy sculptures of iron, bronze and wood.
The three main museums are the Anthropology and History Museum, the Museum of Popular Culture and the Modern Art Museum. The Anthropology and History Museum is divided into several halls. One is dedicated to ecology, exhibiting the flora and fauna of the State of Mexico. Other halls are dedicated to the pre Hispanic period, the colonial period and Mexico since Independence. There are pre Hispanic tombs and ceramics from different cultural that inhabited the State of Mexico. There is also a sculpture of a serpent with an image of Mictlantecuhtli
at its base. From the colonial period, there are sugar mills, and steel armor along with religious items and fixtures from churches. More modern items include a printing press operated by José Guadalupe Posada), illustrations and etchings from José Zubieta and José Vicente Villada from the late 19th and early 20th century, Andrés Molina Henríquez and Francisco Murguía of the Mexican Revolution
and Agustín Millán
and Abundio Gómez from the latter 20th century. In 2004, the this museum was remodeled.
The Museum of Popular Culture is located in the former main house with sample of folk art and handcrafts
from the state including some important examples of Trees of Life
, created in this museum. One is unique in that it was constructed here in 1986, 5.2 meters tall, constructed in one piece with two faces. Other objects on display include ceramics, textiles, baskets, silverwork, glasswork, fireworks, piñatas and toys. There are also models what life was like for the indigenous peoples of the state. Behind this museum are other hacienda building some in ruins and one with an exhibition on how a drink called “tepache
” was made.
The Modern Art Museum building was original built to be a planetarium
. It has a unique circular form with a pink sandstone base and a roof covered with a series of aluminum rings said to look like a flying saucer
. The museum contains seven halls in arranged in chronological order and by artistic movement. It contains works by Germán Gedovius
, Leandro Izaguirre
, Rufino Tamayo
, Matías Goeritz, Pedro Coronel
, Doctor Atl, Francisco Zúñiga
, Vicente Gandía, Raúl Anguiano
, Alfredo Zalce, Enrique Echeverría, Leopoldo Flores
, Francisco Toledo
, Francisco Moreno Capdevilla, Arnold Belkin
and Gilberto Aceves Navarro
. The museum also contains a multipurpose room and a bookstore.
Two other important buildings on the grounds are the center’s library and the Archives of the State of Mexico. The library contains a collection of about 60,000 volumes, mostly in literature and history. with sections dedicated to periodicals, video and a computer room.The Archives contain about twenty million documents related to the history of the state from the colonial period to the late 20th century.
The center hosts a number of temporary exhibits in its museums as well as cultural events on its grounds. The center sponsors an annual event called the FestinARTE, with a purpose of getting children to appreciate the arts, with workshops and performances in painting, music, ceramics, and theater for children. The Tianguis de Arte is held annually at the center. It sells art by state artists as well as books. In 2005, the center held an event inviting about 400 graffiti artists to create mural son fifty meters of screens located in the parking lot.
To serve the eastern section of the State of Mexico, a new cultural center in Texcoco
called the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario was inaugurated in 2011.
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
in central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The center is run by the State of Mexico government through an agency called the Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura (IMC), the largest and most important of this agency, receiving about 80,000 visitors a year. It contains the Museum of Anthropology and History, the Modern Art Museum and the Museum of Popular Cultures as well as a Central Public Library and the Historical Archives of the State of Mexico, as well as facilities for research.
The complex is located on part of the former San José de la Pila Hacienda, which was originally part of a Franciscan monastery called Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. This hacienda was one of the largest in the Valley of Toluca with large pasture for cattle and a fresh water spring which only recently has been open to the public. The hacienda came into the hands of the state in 1976. Part of the land, 177,989 hectares, was dedicated to the cultural center. The main architect of the project was Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, who designed the museums. The center was inaugurated in 1987 the three major museums and a collection of art and cultural objects donated by regional centers, museums, libraries, arts festival and individual families. Much of the grounds remain open and contain some of the original hacienda buildings along with about seventy sculptures of iron, bronze and wood.
The three main museums are the Anthropology and History Museum, the Museum of Popular Culture and the Modern Art Museum. The Anthropology and History Museum is divided into several halls. One is dedicated to ecology, exhibiting the flora and fauna of the State of Mexico. Other halls are dedicated to the pre Hispanic period, the colonial period and Mexico since Independence. There are pre Hispanic tombs and ceramics from different cultural that inhabited the State of Mexico. There is also a sculpture of a serpent with an image of Mictlantecuhtli
Mictlantecuhtli
Mictlantecuhtli , in Aztec mythology, was a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan , the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld. He was one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and was the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld...
at its base. From the colonial period, there are sugar mills, and steel armor along with religious items and fixtures from churches. More modern items include a printing press operated by José Guadalupe Posada), illustrations and etchings from José Zubieta and José Vicente Villada from the late 19th and early 20th century, Andrés Molina Henríquez and Francisco Murguía of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
and Agustín Millán
Agustín Millán
Agustín Millán García is a former Spanish handball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics and in the 1984 Summer Olympics....
and Abundio Gómez from the latter 20th century. In 2004, the this museum was remodeled.
The Museum of Popular Culture is located in the former main house with sample of folk art and handcrafts
Mexican handcrafts and folk art
Mexican handcrafts and folk art is a complex collection of items made with various materials and intended for utilitarian, decorative or other purposes. Some of the items produced by hand in this country include ceramics, wall hangings, vases, furniture, textiles and much more...
from the state including some important examples of Trees of Life
Tree of Life (craft)
A Tree of Life is a theme of clay sculpture created in central Mexico, especially in the municipality of Metepec, Mexico State. The image depicted in these sculptures originally was for the teaching of the Biblical story of creation to natives in the early colonial period...
, created in this museum. One is unique in that it was constructed here in 1986, 5.2 meters tall, constructed in one piece with two faces. Other objects on display include ceramics, textiles, baskets, silverwork, glasswork, fireworks, piñatas and toys. There are also models what life was like for the indigenous peoples of the state. Behind this museum are other hacienda building some in ruins and one with an exhibition on how a drink called “tepache
Tepache
The tepache is a drink made out of the flesh and rind of the pineapple, sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon and sometimes beer. Tepache does not have a high quantity of alcohol, since it is left to ferment for only about three days. The alcohol comes mostly from the addition of a small amount...
” was made.
The Modern Art Museum building was original built to be a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. It has a unique circular form with a pink sandstone base and a roof covered with a series of aluminum rings said to look like a flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
. The museum contains seven halls in arranged in chronological order and by artistic movement. It contains works by Germán Gedovius
Germán Gedovius
Germán Gedovius was a Mexican painter....
, Leandro Izaguirre
Leandro Izaguirre
Leandro Izaguirre was a Mexican painter, illustrator and teacher. He entered the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City in 1884...
, Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, painting figurative abstraction with surrealist influences....
, Matías Goeritz, Pedro Coronel
Pedro Coronel
Pedro Coronel Arroyo was a Mexican abstract painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and engraver.-Biography:...
, Doctor Atl, Francisco Zúñiga
Francisco Zúñiga
thumbJosé Jesús Francisco Zúñiga Chavarría was a Costa Rican and Mexican artist, known both for his painting and his sculpture...
, Vicente Gandía, Raúl Anguiano
Raúl Anguiano
José Raúl Anguiano Valadez was a Mexican critical realist painter, draftsman, muralist, and engraver, as well as a member of the second generation of the so-called "Mexican School of Painting" in Mexican art, along with Juan O'Gorman, Judith Gutierrez, Jorge González Camarena, José Chávez Morado,...
, Alfredo Zalce, Enrique Echeverría, Leopoldo Flores
Leopoldo Flores
Leopoldo Flores was born in Tenancingo, Estado de México in 1934. He is a muralist, sculptor, intellectual.Flores had his start in the Mural-Pancarta Movement. He was consistent in installing monumental artistic paintings on buildings. With a singular creativity in Aratmosfera painting, consisting...
, Francisco Toledo
Francisco Toledo
Francisco Benjamín López Toledo is a Mexican graphic artist. He studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Oaxaca and the Centro Superior de Artes Aplicadas del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico, where he studied graphic arts with Guillermo Silva Santamaria...
, Francisco Moreno Capdevilla, Arnold Belkin
Arnold Belkin
Arnold Belkin was a Mexican painter and mural artist. Born in Canada, he moved to Mexico to be closer to the Mexican artists Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Siquerios. In the '50s he befriended the latter, collaborating with him on two murals in Mexico City...
and Gilberto Aceves Navarro
Gilberto Aceves Navarro
Gilberto Horacio Aceves Navarro is a Mexican painter.- Biography :Aceves studied painting at "La Esmeralda" under Enrique Assad, Ignacio Aguirre and Carlos Orozco Romero after 1950...
. The museum also contains a multipurpose room and a bookstore.
Two other important buildings on the grounds are the center’s library and the Archives of the State of Mexico. The library contains a collection of about 60,000 volumes, mostly in literature and history. with sections dedicated to periodicals, video and a computer room.The Archives contain about twenty million documents related to the history of the state from the colonial period to the late 20th century.
The center hosts a number of temporary exhibits in its museums as well as cultural events on its grounds. The center sponsors an annual event called the FestinARTE, with a purpose of getting children to appreciate the arts, with workshops and performances in painting, music, ceramics, and theater for children. The Tianguis de Arte is held annually at the center. It sells art by state artists as well as books. In 2005, the center held an event inviting about 400 graffiti artists to create mural son fifty meters of screens located in the parking lot.
To serve the eastern section of the State of Mexico, a new cultural center in Texcoco
Texcoco, Mexico State
Texcoco is a city and municipality located in the northeast portion of Mexico State, 25 km northeast of Mexico City. In the pre-Hispanic era, this was a major Aztec city on the shores of Lake Texcoco. After the Conquest, the city was initially the second most important after Mexico City,...
called the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario was inaugurated in 2011.