Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico

(Los Angeles, March 1, 2012)— The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico, the first large-scale exploration of the ancient kingdoms of southern Mexico and their patron deity, Quetzalcoatl, the human incarnation of the Plumed Serpent. On view from April 1 through July 1, 2012, this groundbreaking exhibition features more than two hundred objects—including painted codices, turquoise mosaics, gold, and textiles—from Mexico, Europe, and the United States. These rare artworks trace the development of an extensive trade network that resulted in a period of cultural innovation that spread across ancient Mexico, the American Southwest, and Central America during the Postclassic (AD 900-1521) and early colonial periods.

“This exhibition foregrounds an era of cultural innovation in Mesoamerica when trade networks, closely linked to the deity Quetzalcoatl, facilitated the exchange of both goods and ideas across vast distances,” said Victoria Lyall, LACMA associate curator of Latin American art, “Southern Mexican kingdoms recognized Quetzalcoatl as their founder and patron, and these communities became, and continue to be, the Children of the Plumed Serpent.”

The exhibition is co-curated by LACMA curators the late Dr. Virginia Fields and Dr. Victoria Lyall, together with guest curator Dr. John Pohl, Adjunct Professor, Department of Art History at UCLA. After its staging in Los Angeles, the exhibition will travel to the Dallas Museum of Art where it will be on view from July 29 through November 25, 2012.

Exhibition Background

This exhibition follows the historical trajectory of Quetzalcoatl’s life and explores his role as founder and benefactor of the Nahua-, Mixtec-, and Zapotec-dominated kingdoms of southern Mexico. Legendary accounts provide key insights into the sophistication and complexity of Postclassic-period societies in Mexico. According to legend, Tollan was founded by Quetzalcoatl, an incarnation of the ancient spirit force of wind and rain that combined the attributes of a serpent with those of the quetzal bird. The Toltec people prospered at Tollan by engaging in long distance commerce until Quetzalcoatl’s rivals schemed against him. Exiled from Tula he traveled east, and the civil strife that ensued led to Tollan’s destruction.

Image credits:

Rain-god Vessel, Mexico, Colima, El Chanal, AD 1200-1500, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, photo © Kimbell Museum/Art Resource, NY

Chalice, Mexico, Puebla, Acatzingo, AD 1521-1600, Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Munich

Vessel with Head Emerging from Serpent Maw, Mexico, Veracruz, Isla de Sacrificios, AD 900-1521, The British Museum, London

Exhibition: Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico On view: April 1-July 1, 2012 Location: Resnick Pavilion

Exhibitions

Press Kit