New textile museum in Mexico City celebrates Indigenous artistry

Mexico City’s Museo de Arte Textil de los Pueblos Indígenas y Afromexicanos (MUT) opened earlier this month near the Templo Mayor archaeological site, celebrating Indigenous and Afro-Mexican textile traditions as living practice. The museum occupies a neoclassical palace built between 1795 and 1805 by architect Manuel Tolsá for Francisco Manuel Cayetano de Fagoaga y Arozqueta, where Aztec vestiges uncovered in the early 1900s remain visible. The 80 million–peso ($4.6 million) project is managed by Fonart and was presented as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup cultural program, though access was complicated by nearby roadblocks and closures linked to teacher protests. Across 16 galleries, MUT displays 210 textiles—mostly from the late 19th century onward—including four re-creations of historic works; curator Alejandro de Ávila and textile artist Jaziel de Jesús are among those involved in reconstructing lost techniques such as a thousand-year-old pall from Hidalgo.

Read the full article at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events