CAFÉBLEND ARTDEPARTMENT

MUSTGO

Each character in this nacimiento from Yucatán has been

fashioned from clay; one of the angels play a jarana, a
guitar-shaped instrument characteristic of the Mexican
sones. | photos courtesy of the field museum

A HOLIDAY TRADITION
BORN OF FAITH AND CULTURE
The history and art of nacimientos come alive
in a new Field Museum exhibit
words Juan Carlos Hernández

Mary’s face might be a little faded. And Joseph’s

arm? It hasn’t looked right since it was glued
back together. What about Baby Jesus? Well,
he’s still in good shape for the Nativity scene.

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 CAFÉBLEND
Created by James You must keep the tradition alive. Abuelita
Regalado, Ruben always did, and now you’re keeping it to
Aguirre, Jr. and
Joevanny Durán, “A honor her memory and to teach your chil-
Hip-Hop Nativity” was dren what you learned from her. The Nativ-
featured during the
2009 Posadas en
ity scene is a tradition born of spiritual and
Pilsen. artistic devotion that has echoed through
the centuries, and now it even finds a home
in the Field Museum, one of Chicago’s
premiere cultural institutions. But it’s some-
what surprising that it actually began in
medieval Italy.
If at some point in the past or present,
you’ve set up a Nativity scene, give an Italian
56 Café DECEMBER 2010
ABOVE: This saint some thanks. Francis of Assisi is known
nacimiento from Puebla as the patron saint of animals and the envi-
is set inside a glazed
ceramic squash. ronment, and on his Oct. 4 feast day, people
fill churches with pets and livestock to have
them blessed. What many might not know
is that he started the tradition of Nativity
scenes, called nacimientos in Spanish.
According to church history and tradition, in December 1223
Francis traveled to the small hill town of Greccio, Italy. Fifteen days
before Christmas Eve, he asked his friend Giovanni da Vellita, a resi-
dent of Greccio, to build a manger and an altar next to the manger.
Some historical accounts place the manger at a stable near a hermit-
age, others at a cave; regardless, he put together a Nativity scene with
live animals and celebrated Mass. Historical accounts are divided on
whether the baby used to represent Jesus was real or a wooden statue.
The tradition flourished and was imitated throughout Italy and
the rest of Christendom. At some point, the live animals and people
were replaced with figures – some breathtakingly beautiful, others
more simple. Eventually, the tradition crossed over to the Americas
with the waves of immigrants and religious orders. In Mexico, the
tradition found fertile ground as creative minds melded the new
tradition with art from previous cultures.
For those more curious about how Mexican hands and ideas have
transformed the tradition, there are several options. You can travel to
Mexico and look at the celebrated nacimientos in most big cities and
towns. Mexico City boasts several elaborate ones in its downtown
core. The tradition has survived even under the weight of the Ameri-
can Santa Claus, Christmas tree and mounds of fake snow. Many
families will often combine the two traditions, creating elaborate
Nativity scenes along with beautiful decorated trees.
But if you’re in Chicago, visit the Field Museum, where you
can view part of its collection of Nativity scenes and figures at the
 MUSTGO

Artist Josefina “Traditions Retold: Mexican Nativity Scenes”
Aguilar created exhibition currently on display at the Webber
and painted this
reinterpretation of Gallery. The exhibition is part of the collection
the Tree of Life in of Mexican popular art donated to the museum
Oaxaca.
by William Goldman.
The former Chicago teacher has been
collecting Mexican popular art since 1963 when he first traveled to
Mexico. “I fell in love with the place and the people,” he says with a
smile. “It’s a wonderful place.”
Art became the concrete expression of that love. For nearly 50
years Goldman has been filling his home with the handicrafts from
disparate corners of Mexico. And they all have the particular flavors
of those regions. Now he is donating most of his collection to the
Field, which will catalog and store the items.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to give these things to,” Goldman
says. To date, Goldman has given the museum about 6,000 items.
“The collection is tremendously important to the Field Museum
for a number of reasons” says Gary Feinman, the museum’s cura-
tor of Mesoamerican anthropology. “Most significantly, it provides a
well-documented and thorough sampling of many of the communi-
ties and artists that are or were producing art and craftwork in the
Mexican states of Oaxaca, Michoacan, and Chiapas.”
The exhibition features a video of Goldman talking about his
collection, his travels in Mexico and his relationship with the arti-
sans. The exhibition also shows nacimientos made of ceramic, clay,
wood, palm fronds and corn husks, among
other materials. All are made by hand. Some
by Mexico’s most renowned artisans reflect
centuries of tradition that shows the culture’s
native roots and how they have melded with
Roman Catholic beliefs and traditions.
The Holy Family, animals and angels
are all given a Mexican flavor. Some wear
sombreros. One figure of an angel holds the
traditional string instrument from Veracruz,
the jarana. Another figure bears the colors
of the Mexican flag. All reflect the enduring
power of the story of the birth of Jesus.
IF YOU GO
“Traditions Retold:
Mexican Nativity Scenes”
When: Ends Sept. 18, 2011
Where: Field Museum of Natural
History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive,
Chicago
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Info: 312-922-9410,
www.fieldmuseum.org

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