Exhibition - El Nacimiento

El Nacimiento on display in La Casa Cordova is a traditional Mexican nativity scene, an artistic expression originating in the early days of European contact with the Native American peoples of Mexico. For centuries, joyful and colorful Christmas celebrations of Mexican families have centered around Nacimiento displays in their homes.

This exhibition is an elaborate and very special version of this cultural inheritance. In an intricate arrangement of hundreds of miniature figures, it combines the symbolism of the Spanish Colonial Catholic Church with the simplicity and faith of everyday existence in rural Mexico. Some of the scenes are from the Christmas story of the Bible; others show traditional Mexican village life with an accuracy that extends even to the tiny replicas of kitchen utensils in the country dwellings. The glow of a myriad of tiny lights binds the multifaceted collection of scenes into a magical fantasy world.

The installation of this beautiful Christmas time vision is a labor of love. Maria Luisa Tena devotes months of loving care each year to preparing and arranging the Nacimiento in memory of her mother. Thanks to this devotion, an age-old Mexican family custom is preserved and shared annually with visitors who respond with wonder and delight!

Cost:
$8 general
$6 seniors (ages 60+) and veterans
$3 students (ages 13+)
Members, children ages 12 and under, and active military with ID are Free
First Sunday of the month is Free for everyone.