Getting to know Oaxaca and alebrijes
This summer, I’ve been living with my family in Mexico—Oaxaca City, to be exact. It’s something I have been looking forward to for many years, as an art historian who has published extensively on Latin American art history from 1300 to 1900.
I adore Mexico—the people are the best, the art is stunning, the history is rich, and the food is incredible. I couldn't wait to share this with my family!
My two kids have loved getting to know the people of Oaxaca better and the incredible cultural traditions that are still so vibrant and palpable throughout the city and state. They are now obsessed with alebrijes too—they are all over the city so you can't escape these charming art objects. Alebrijes are carved wooden sculptures painted in vibrant colors that show mythical beasts and creatures. If you’ve ever seen the Pixar movie Coco, then perhaps you know a little bit about alebrijes. When Miguel, the main character, travels to the Land of the Dead, he encounters a lot of alebrijes, including Pepita and Dante.
I mention alebrijes because as we’ve gotten to know this city and region better, my kids have asked a lot of great questions! I love it. Regarding alebrijes, they want to know more about why they are so popular, why they were incorporated into Coco, how they fit into art history, who makes them, and so on and so forth. They are very curious indeed. I guess they take after me.
A blog series about Disney/Pixar animated films and art history is born!
All these questions eventually sparked an idea that I think will be quite fun, though intense! But I am not one to shy away from a challenge!
My kids asked if we could watch Coco again after learning a lot about alebrijes, and so we did. As I rewatched it with them I kept seeing all these amazing art historical references (oh, look! It's Teotihuacan!), so I casually said:
“Maybe it would be fun to watch all the Disney animated movies in order and look for art history references.”
Well, dear readers, never say such a thing in front of a six- and eight-year-old unless you are prepared to actually follow through! They latched onto this idea with absolute glee. My oldest asked if we could watch them in chronological order, from Snow White forward, and if we could do it together. So I said "why not."
And so was born the idea of a Disney animation and Pixar films blog post series. While my Disney art history books are focused on the hidden art historical references at Disneyland Park, I imagine rewatching all these films in order will be both helpful and fun—and really keep me on my art historian toes! But I think it will be a great way to think in depth about the historical context of Disney animation and how things have shifted over time.
I mean, just with the movie Coco, I am excited to talk about Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), alebrijes, the ancient site of Teotihuacan, cities in Oaxaca and Michoacán, the Bellas Artes building in Mexico City, and so much more!
A blog series years in the making—literally
I imagine this will take a couple of years to complete, so I am in it for the long haul.
Will you join me on this adventure?
I sure hope so. Stay tuned for ongoing posts about art history and Disney/Pixar films! Better yet, sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss anything!
First up: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! We are traveling back to 1937 with the film that started it all.
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