Published in 1892 during the Porfiriato, Antigüedades Mexicanas: Láminas brought together reproductions of Mexico’s most celebrated historical manuscripts. This exhibit centers on two of those works—the Codex Colombino and the Codex Porfirio Díaz—exploring why they were selected, what they were thought to represent, and how they aligned with President Porfirio Díaz’s vision of Mexico as both ancient and modern.
Under Díaz’s administration, archaeology and antiquarian scholarship played a key role in shaping national identity. Through reproduction and interpretation, scholars and artists, often in collaboration with or at the order of the government, reframed Indigenous heritage as a foundation for modern nation-building.
Visitors are invited to examine the codices with attention to how this late-19th-century framing influenced how Mexico’s past was understood and displayed.
About this exhibit
This exhibit was created to complement the The Nelson-Atkins Museum's Painted Worlds: Color and Culture in Mesoamerican Art exhibit. There is also a complementery graphic exhibit Unfolding Mixtec Codices on display through May 2026 in the Miller Nichols Learning Center Foyer outside of MNLC 151.
