Patzcuaro and Our Lady of Health Highlighted at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, Germany
The Humboldt
Forum, located in the former Royal Palace in Berlin, is a cultural
macrocenter,recently opened virtually (due to the pandemic); after eight years
of reconstruction. Among his themes of
the forum are the lives of the Humboldt brothers.
Wilhelm and
Alexander von Humboldt are distinguished as the most by their contributions
that helped us better understand the world.
Alexander von
Humboldt took a trip through Latin America in the 19th
century, exploring and visiting different corners of different countries,
including Mexico.
He collected
plants, observed the presence of animals at the sites he visited and wrote in
his letters about the culture of the peoples he met.
He was a great
naturalist whose contributions and ideas remain in force today. He identified the fauna, flora, and
traditions of the countries he visited.
During his
exploration in Mexico, Alexander von Humboldt came to Michoacán to
observe the Jorullo Volcano, which was active. This geological phenomenon in
the Tierra Caliente in the vicinity of Huacana was of interest to several
foreign travelers including the Capuchin friar, Francisco de Ajofrín, who were
coming to Michoacán to investigate the birth of the Jorullo Volcano in
1759, and whose activity lasted for several years.
During his stay
in Michoacán, Alexander von Humboldt also visited Pátzcuaro and
acquired a Virgin of Health, made with the technique of feather art. According
to the German newspaper “Der Taggespiegel”, this piece acquired in Pátzcuaro
will have a prominent place in the exhibition "Mesoamerica" at the
Humboldt Forum in Berlin.
The Purépechas
had the ability to work with feathers with great mastery, which greatly
surprised the conquerors. They honored their gods using feather art for the
apparel of their rulers and their priests.
In the “Relación
de Michoacán”, feather art is alluded to. The Purépechas used it
for other purposes, such as in their rituals.
Subsequently,
with evangelization, this technique was used by Augustinian friars, creating
works of sacred art to instruct the indigenous, making different religious
images, which is an example of the cultural syncretism that took place in New
Spain.
If you want to
have more detailed information about feather art, you will find it in our post:
"Arte Plumario in Pátzcuaro" (Feather Art in Pátzcuaro).
2019 marked the
250th birth of Alexander von Humboldt, a worldly man, with great
contributions not only as an explorer, but also as a naturalist, geographer and
astronomer, and a great humanist.
At Hotel Mansión Iturbe, we invite you to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Health in Pátzcuaro, where you will find the image that inspired the artist who made this work of feather art.
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| Basilic of Our Lady of Health in Patzcuaro |
*Text and picture property of Hotel Mansión Iturbe.
We invite you to check more post in our blog, you will find information about Patzcuaro and its surroundings, that we hope will be useful for your next trip to our colonial town in Mexico.
Plaza Vasco de Quiroga
61600 Pátzcuaro, Mich.
México
Reservations online at Hotel Mansion Iturbe
Tels: +52 (434) 342 0368 / 342 3628
Fax: +52 (434) 342 3627
Toll Free fax number from USA & CANADA: 1 866 678 6102
Sabre: ON 16297
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