Art exhibition looks at history of Yucatan

If you’ve been feeling starved for cultural history lately, the Mexican Cultural Institute may have just what you need. Currently on display is the hard work of a team from the University of Quintana Roo that has been investigating the Maya of Yucatan. The students have decided to focus on the leaders of the Caste War, namely Cecilio Chi, Jacinto Pat and Manuel Antonio Ay. The exhibition comes complete with a family tree and who knows, maybe one of your ancestors is among them.

Guillermo Gutierrez, Dir., Mexican Cultural Institute

“This exhibition is part of a project of collaboration with the Institute of Quintanarroense de la Cultura. It’s kind of a project for the next six months. This is the first exhibition in the framework of this agreement among both institutes and it’s an exhibition that includes photographs and drawings about the leaders of the Maya Caste War. This is a problem that we had in Mexico during the middle of the nineteenth century, so people can come and detect how the descendants of these leaders. You can find maybe some last names, some similar last names, of the population from Orange Walk or Corozal.

The idea is to show how persons, how they reproduced during the time. Most of the are dispersed during the…in different parts of the state of Quintana Roo and the principal object I think is just to show how the principal leaders transmit their ideas or their principles to their descendants.”

Many Belizeans in Corozal and Orange Walk can trace their ancestry to refugees from the civil wars in Yucatan. The institute will be hosting a different exhibition every month for the next six months. In September, the art, food and cultural activities of the people of Quintana Roo will be on display. All exhibitions are free of cost.