Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art
| Artist Rufino Tamayo collected ancient art from all over Mexico. He donated his collection in 1974 to the city of Oaxaca. Museo de Arte Pre-Hispánico Rufino Tamayo Morelos, #503 Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico Closed Tuesdays Hours 10-2, 4-7pm, Sunday 10AM-3PM Fee 34 Pesos |
Rufino Tamayo
Museum of
Pre-Hispanic Art
Oaxaca
Museum of
Pre-Hispanic Art
Oaxaca
The collection displays the artist's
interest in ancient art and is a
comprehensive sample of
Mexico's ancient art. The pieces
came to the collection before the
era of organized archaeology
from unsupervised digs and
therefore have broad dates,
making the museum more a
collection of art than a museum of
archaeology.
interest in ancient art and is a
comprehensive sample of
Mexico's ancient art. The pieces
came to the collection before the
era of organized archaeology
from unsupervised digs and
therefore have broad dates,
making the museum more a
collection of art than a museum of
archaeology.
Rufino Tamayo Museum's
Oaxacan Rain God Cociyo
Oaxacan Rain God Cociyo
Rufino Tamayo was born in Oaxaca in 1899 to Zapotec parents and studied art in Mexico city as a young
man. He studied the assembled artifacts in the Mexico City museums, drawing them and developing his
interest in ancient art. He left Mexico in 1937 and taught art for ten years in New York City and then moved to
Paris with his wife Olga in 1949 staying until 1959. He returned to Oaxaca and donated his collection of
ancient art to the city of Oaxaca in 1974 and also donated a collection of contemporary art to the country of
Mexico. He died in 1991 as one of Mexico's most celebrated modern artists.
man. He studied the assembled artifacts in the Mexico City museums, drawing them and developing his
interest in ancient art. He left Mexico in 1937 and taught art for ten years in New York City and then moved to
Paris with his wife Olga in 1949 staying until 1959. He returned to Oaxaca and donated his collection of
ancient art to the city of Oaxaca in 1974 and also donated a collection of contemporary art to the country of
Mexico. He died in 1991 as one of Mexico's most celebrated modern artists.
Urns from the early, the
classic, and the post classic
period of Oaxaca. 100AD
-1000 AD
Monte Alban and the valley ruin
sites within a few miles of the
City of Oaxaca contain tombs
where artifacts of this type
would have been placed either
within the tomb or at the
entrance. Many of the artifacts
in the Tamayo collection have
broad dating because they
were removed from tombs
before organized archaeology
got its start.
Local organized archaeology
started in the region during the
early digs of Alfonso Caso in
the 1930s when Caso and
colleagues developed the
ceramic chronology.
classic, and the post classic
period of Oaxaca. 100AD
-1000 AD
Monte Alban and the valley ruin
sites within a few miles of the
City of Oaxaca contain tombs
where artifacts of this type
would have been placed either
within the tomb or at the
entrance. Many of the artifacts
in the Tamayo collection have
broad dating because they
were removed from tombs
before organized archaeology
got its start.
Local organized archaeology
started in the region during the
early digs of Alfonso Caso in
the 1930s when Caso and
colleagues developed the
ceramic chronology.
Late Classic/Post Classic
8Th-10Th Century AD
8Th-10Th Century AD
Early Classic, 1st to 3rd century AD(
or much older, see San Jose El
Mogote)
or much older, see San Jose El
Mogote)
Classic Cociyo, The Rain God,
500-800AD
500-800AD
| Oaxaca's Pre-Hispanic Art |
Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-hispanic Art
The northern Rain
God Tlaloc made
an appearance in
Oaxaca both before
the classic period
of Monte Alban,
(San Jose el
Mogote), and after
the abandonment of
the city in 800 AD,
but during Monte
Alban's reign,
Cociyo was the
dominant Rain God.
God Tlaloc made
an appearance in
Oaxaca both before
the classic period
of Monte Alban,
(San Jose el
Mogote), and after
the abandonment of
the city in 800 AD,
but during Monte
Alban's reign,
Cociyo was the
dominant Rain God.
Ceramic
vessels of a
type found in the
southern
regions of
Oaxaca State,
trade goods
likely
manufactured in
Chiapas State's
Tapachula
vessels of a
type found in the
southern
regions of
Oaxaca State,
trade goods
likely
manufactured in
Chiapas State's
Tapachula
Tlaloc
Classic Period Monte Alban, Oaxacan Valley art
| Museo de Arte Pre-Hispánico Rufino Tamayo |
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