ADVENT CALENDAR 2024
December 18
KOLLA NATIVITY
Mario René Mendoza
San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
Clay, paint
21st century
This Nativity was made in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, near the Bolivian border. The artist, Mario René Mendoza, is known for creating ceramics that embody the cultures of ethnic groups such as the Guachos, Mapuches, Yamanas, Tehuelches, and the Kolla. The Kolla are herders and farmers, and this Nativity highlights one of the animals they raise: llamas. Mendoza collects clay from nearby mountains and makes his own paints from plants, leaves, and tree bark.
On loan from the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, New Haven, Connecticut
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