Once Houses, Now Museums

In the Casa de Juarez

Museo Rufino Tamayo

More museums, all former colonial style houses… First off, the Rufino Tamayo Museum, a sister museum to the main one in Mexico City. This one is dedicated to pre-Hispanic art, mainly sculpture. It's beautifully presented with each of the half a dozen or so galleries adopting a strong vibrant colour. Lots of fabulous pieces worthy of the National Museum of Anthropology. This figure is from sometime between 200-750AD. Great, thoughtful pose.
The Textile Museum of Oaxaca focuses on the contemporary, with two exhibitions: one on rebozos, the other on patchworks. The latter was interesting: large, hanging quilts on the theme of cities.
Smallest museum of them all was the former home of Benito Juarez, former President of Mexico. Juarez was born in Oaxaca state but moved to Oaxaca City at the age of 12, living in the house in question from 1818-28. He was supported by the owner, a bookbinder, and a lay Franciscan monk who made sure he had a good education. In 1834 he became a lawyer and in 1847 Governor of the State of Oaxaca, before moving on to even greater things. It's a simple house and a simple museum.