Versión Demo. Incluye:

-Presentación

-Capítulo 1

-Créditos

Published in connection with the exhibition Eating and Being: The Gastronomic Roots of Mexico.

January 27, 2011–May 31, 2011. Galería Andrea Pozzo, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City campus.

November 23, 2011- March 25, 2012, Museo de Historia Mexicana, Monterrey.

This work was first published in September 2013 by CACCIANI, S.A. de C.V.

Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, in any medium and by any method, is prohibited without the authorization of the copyright holders.

Contents

Presentation

MAN, FOOD, AND THE GODS

Chicomecoatl

Tlaloc

The God of Maize

RITES AND OFFERINGS

CROP CULTIVATION

COMMERCE AND TRADE

FOOD VARIETY

PROCESSING OF FOODS

FOODS AND DISHES IN THE PRE-HISPANIC WORLD

Meals for the Commoners

Meals for the Nobles and Lords

Ceremonial Foods

LOS FOODS AND DEATH

Credits

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Credits

Food is a fundamental pillar in the edifice of every culture. Eating transcends its primary function of supplying the body with nutrients to become an act endowed with multiple and profound meanings. Each civilization has learned to recognize the ingredients available in its surroundings and conceived various ways of preparing them, while also assigning them specific cultural symbols. Through food, human groups give concrete expression to their way of understanding life, developing their own tastes that distinguish them from other groups.

Maize, at the heart of the Mesoamerican worldview, was man's origin and his future. Speaking of the animals, plants, fruits and minerals in ancient Mexico evokes the links that bound the individual with the universe.

The Fundación Cultural Armella Spitalier and the Universidad Iberoamericana wish to pay homage to our culinary roots by recognizing in our gastronomic heritage the sensibility that interconnected the pre-Hispanic peoples and that remains a fundamental part of our identity today.

All of us who are part of the Fundación Cultural Armella Spitalier feel very privileged to present this exhibition in our beloved Monterrey, and also proud to bring to the Museo de Historia Mexicana this display of who we are and the legacy our ancestors have left to the world. For it is our Mesoamerican products, and the rich tradition in which they have been prepared over history, that have elevated Mexican cuisine to the status of an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," a distinction granted by UNESCO. Today's Mexican cuisine is the same one the conquistadors knew, and also the one that gave rise to many of our traditions.

For all these reasons, we wish to share the fascinating collection that gives testimony to this wonder, particularly now, at a time when Mexico needs to restore its national pride, the essence of its being and its roots.

I am immensely grateful for this opportunity, and I most sincerely hope that every visitor will enjoy this exhibition.

Carlos Armella Sánchez

Presidente of the Fundación

Cultural Armella Spitalier

Food, an indispensable component of all cultural activities that made up the pre-Hispanic world, was used in offerings to the deities and tributes to the lords; it was a sign of hospitality, a peace offering, accompanying man from birth to death. In ancient Mexico, food constituted a nexus between humans and gods.

Teotl, "divine energy," was the supreme essence that appeared in various forms; its force permeated the universe and ruled nature. In the agricultural calendar, each phase of the maturation of maize was honored with a specific Teotl; among the Mexicas, the principal ones were Centeotl and Chicomecoatl.

The majority of pre-Hispanic cultures had at least one god of maize. Archaeological evidence found among the remains of each group demonstrates their reverence toward the plant that was their main source of nourishment. Curiously, in several Mesoamerican cemeteries different gods mark the distinction between young maize and mature maize. The Mexicas, for example, had Xilonen as the goddess of jilote or sweet maize; Centeotl as the god of maize proper, with Chicomecoatl as his female counterpart (also associated with fertility); and Ilamatecuhtli, the goddess of mature maize.

Tlaloc, the god of rain, descended from the heavens to fertilize the maize fields. He was feared for his rage, which could provoke storms and hail. The ceremonies in his honor included the sacrifice of children to appeal for water and a ritual that consisted of hitting women with sacks filled with hay to make them cry and thereby simulate rain. Tlaloc and his helpers, the tlaloque, lived in the paradise known as Tlalocan, which is depicted in the famous mural of Tepantitla, in the archaeological zone of Teotihuacan.

The scene depicted in this piece is made up of three parts: on top, an area painted orange; below this, a pseudo-glyphic inscription; and in the third part, an image of two semi-anthropomorphic cobs of maize and various precious symbols. Although it is possible to identify the glyphs on this vessel, the inscription does not form a linguistic text. One of the heads in the third part of the scene has a grain and two leaves, while the other head has only one leaf; in both cases, the leaves emerge from the side of the head.

Credits

Exhibition

Curatorship and museography: Carlos Villanueva

Research: Jiapsy Arias • Vicente Camacho • Miguel Ángel Marín

Design: Alexandra Suberville

Coordination: Paulina Franch

Catalogue eBook

Editorial coordinator: Nathalie Armella • Valeria Armella

Texts: Nathalie Armella • Vicente Camacho • Paulina Franch • Carlos Villanueva

English translation: Rose Vekony

Art direction: Emmanuel Hernández • Alexandra Suberville

Layout and design: Berenice Ceja

Cover design: Berenice Ceja

Pre-Hispanic man accorded food a central place and a vital importance in his culture.

Products such as maize, beans, squash, cacao, and chili have their origins in Mesoamerica and form part of the cultural heritage of humanity.

This catalogue, published in connection with the exhibition Eating and Being: The Gastronomic Roots of Mexico, seeks to honor the link between foods and the lives of human beings.

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Editorial: CACCIANI, S.A. de C.V.

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Year of publication: 2013