City and Cosmos: The Arts of Teotihuacan” at the LACMA (Extra Credit)

I attended the exhibit “City and Cosmos: The Arts of Teotihuacan” at the LACMA and it was truly a great experience. The exhibition was composed mostly by artifacts and art work that was discover in a tunnel underneath the Feathered Serpent Pyramid back in 2003. The passage was named Tlalocan by the archeologist who discovered it. The passage extends from La Ciudadela to the bottom of the pyramid and its about 337 feet. The Tlalocan tunnel is supposed to simulate the cosmic underworld and it is believed that the artifacts in the tunnel were part of an offering  to Teotihuacan founding ancestors. There were a lot of shells with different symbols graved into them, There were also a lot if miniature sculptures made of clay and a lot of spears and knives made of obsidian stones. However, one of the things that stood out the most to me was the painted pieces that looked like murals. The figures contained birds with spears and shields as well as Qutzales. The paint even tough looked a bit faded it was still quite vivid and the red colors in it really stood out and the drawings were carefully traced. I also noticed through the pieces that the culture had a deep and important connection with nature and animals in general. A lot of the pieces contained birds, serpents, butterflies, etc. Furthermore, the pieces reflect an important duality between terrestrial animals and those that can fly. Overall, the  exhibit was really enjoyable and empowering.