Children of the Plumed Serpent: Constructing Elite Status

This two part program, held in conjunction with the exhibition Children of the Plumed Serpent, explores the construction of elite status in Mesoamerica.

The Power of Dress in Mesoamerica | Lisa Sousa, Occidental College
Clothing, jewelry, and bodily adornment were invested with the power to transform a person into a ruler, a warrior, or even a deity in ancient and colonial Mesoamerica. This lecture examines the ways that noble men and women used dress to embody high status and qualities of leadership.

Royal Palaces in Ancient and Colonial Oaxaca | Kevin Terraciano, UCLA
Mesoamerican elites lived in elaborate "lordly houses" before and after the arrival of Europeans in the 1520s.  This talk examines a variety of images, texts and material remains to consider what is known of these "palaces," focusing on royal residences in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Bing Theater | Free, no reservations

Image:Huipil, Mexico, Guerrero, Metlatonoc region, Cochoapa el Grande, c.1975, cotton and acrylic thread, Museo Textil de Oaxaca (HUI0320).