Mexico City, 12 May 2011
A collection of about 300 Aztlan objects, a Mexican civilization from the 3rd to 15th centuries, has been offered by artist Vladimir Cora to the Mexican government.
Cora is a Mexican painter who spent more than 25 years assembling Aztlan objects coming from his native region, the Nayarit, on the west coast of Mexico. The artist thus built up one of the greatest collections of Aztlan items, protecting the civilization’s art and culture from traffickers.
On 4 May, the l’Instituto nacional de antropologia e historia (INAH) announced on its website that the artist was giving his collection to the Mexican government.
These 287 pre-Hispanic objects will enable experts to learn more about the customs of the inhabitants of Nayarit. According to archaeologist Mauricio Garduño Ambriz, quoted by INAH, the donation is of inestimable value and provides an “exceptional glimpse of material culture of this ancient civilization.”
The collection is currently conserved at the Nayarit Regional Museum and is due to be exhibited in 2012.