EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The El Paso Museum of History (EPMH) invites the community to visit its newest exhibition, “Mexicanidad: Folklorizing a Nation 1921-1971” on view beginning Thursday, Sept. 14 with extended hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

The exhibit showcases a visual history of “artesanias” (crafts) produced in the wake of the Mexican Revolution by Indigenous artisans and displayed alongside 2D works by Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera (Los Tres Grandes of Mexican Muralism) and many more, according to a press release sent by the City of El Paso.

In addition, the exhibit will be on display through February 24, 2024.  

The city says the exhibit explores the Mexican Revolution that represented not only a major political upheaval, but an economic, social and cultural one as well.

“During the Peaceful Years after the Mexican Revolution, as a way to unite a divided factious country, the newly installed Mexican government turned its attention towards developing an essential idea of Mexicanidad (“Mexicanicity” or “Mexican-ness”). Officials and intellectuals invested in and cultivated the production of artesanias across the country: crafts and other visual materials that would highlight Mexico’s Indigenous roots in a ‘modern’ context, carefully synthesizing Mexico’s Indigenous and European heritage,” according to the city.

The city says this movement in art and artmaking was done not only with an eye towards nation-building, but with the idea of presenting a palatable image to global powers as well.

Much of the work produced during this time, like the murals of “Los Tres Grandes,” is seen today as quintessential representations of Mexican culture. Featuring a wide range of pottery, textiles, woodworking, basketry and other objects, “Mexicanidad” celebrates the craftsmanship and artistry of these pieces and their creators while also examining the social, political and cultural climate that enabled their production, according to the city.

To learn more about the El Paso Museum of History, visit EPMuseumOfHistory.org.