This mask depicts Malintzin, also known as Doña Mariña or La Malinche, a historical figure in the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. Malintzin was an Aztec woman who was captured as a child and enslaved by the Maya, who then sold her to Hernán Cortés. With the help of Géronimo de Aguilar, a Spaniard who had learned the Maya language after being shipwrecked, Malintzin served as a … [Read more...] about Masks and Papier-Mâché Angel: Researched and Conserved by Melia Richardson
Molas and molitas (“little molas”) are elaborate textiles made by the women of the Kuna culture of the San Blas territory, in what is today the country of Panama. The elaborate designs on molas are created primarily using a technique known as reverse appliqué, a painstaking process that involves stitching together several layers of cloth and then cutting designs and outlines … [Read more...] about Molas and Molitas: Researched by Amanda Steimel and Elizabeth Rodwell