Piñatas
More than 200 piñatas with incredible designs arrived at the Museum of Popular Art.
Piñatas are a great tradition of our culture, which besides being beautiful, breaking them brings fun for both kids and adults.
Piñatas are often associated with Mexican traditions, to the extent of being a central element in birthdays and other festive celebratory events like Christmas. They are made from a clay pot or more commonly from cardboard, covered with paper, and adorned with colorful paper.
The best part about piñatas is their interior, as they contain fruits, candies, or other prizes, and of course, they are hung and broken. The tradition of the modern piñata, along with the posadas, is an allegory of a star with seven points. The points represented the seven deadly sins, and the bright colors of the piñata symbolized temptation.
This transformed the piñata into a representation of blind faith and the will to overcome sin. The candies and other sweets inside the piñata represented the riches of the kingdom of heaven; therefore, the teaching accompanied by faith and a single virtue could overcome sin and receive all the rewards of heaven.
Now that popular objects, including piñatas, have entered museums, the traditional Mexican Piñata Contest took place to rescue the essence of popular art as part of the Christmas celebrations in Mexico and as a result of the syncretism of pre-Hispanic, Christian, and popular festivities.
This contest selects the best creations of the Mexican piñata, and afterward, they are exhibited inside the Museum of Popular Art (MAP). In this edition, 200 piñatas made by artisans, collectives, and the general public from Mexico City, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, Yucatán, and Zacatecas will participate.
This annual contest is held to rescue the essence of popular art in the making of these objects. As every year, thousands of people are expected to visit to admire the work and imagination of Mexican hands that with great passion and love for Mexican traditions, create these piñatas that are transformed into true works of art.
Where? Museum of Popular Art (Revillagigedo 11, Colonia Centro, Centro, 06050 Mexico City).
When? From November 11th to December 13th.
How much? $60.00 general admission, with discounts for students, teachers with a valid ID, and senior citizens.
Free entry on Sundays.
