Ruth Leon recommends… Nayarit Houses – Met Museum

Nayarit Houses – Met Museum

Nayarit is a small state in western Mexico between the forested mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Pacific Ocean.

Here is Met curator Laura Filloy Nadal taking us on a tour through ancient Nayarit house models, offering a unique window into life in West Mexico between 100 BCE and 200 CE.

These little models explore detailed scenes of village life, feasting, and community gatherings, that share details of the traditions that shaped the lives of those who lived in what is now the state of Nayarit.

As part of this tour, she uncovers a previously “hidden” room—an element that reveals an important aspect of these models: they were built from the inside out. It does not matter that the viewer, ancient or modern, cannot see every element; it matters that they are there. These models reconstruct the world of the living, to create one for the dead.

Read more