Open With Care With Open STARTERMUSEUM KIT: 1230 Fifth Avenueat 104thSt.New York, NY10029 www.elmuseo.org R aphael Montañez O Las Galerias. Galerias. Las Montañez Ortiz in II Zemi Maya Zemi Maya Iand Encuentra: by Raphael Maya Zemi 1 and Maya Zemi II Zemi Maya rtiz, 1and Zemi Maya

Mira: • • • • look at it carefully. Walk around the artwork and something similar before? similar something seen ever you Have What shapes you can find? What materials do you see? artwork? this What surprises you about inspired byinspired dream? a been ever you Have from came dream. a The idea for this artwork Entérate:

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Entérate: Before Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1492, there were many people Palabras: already living and working in the Americas. These native peoples are Taíno: one of the native known as Pre-Columbian cultures, each of which had their own language, Arawak-speaking peoples of e rs belief system, and way of life. the . In Arawak, Taíno means “good or noble people.”

The Taínos were skilled farmers The artist was inspired by the cultures of two of these groups: the Taínos in and navigators, and they the Caribbean and the Mayans in the Yucatán Peninsula. were the first people to come into contact with the Spanish

Mississippi River explorers. Many Taíno words are New Orleans Mississippi River USA New Orleans part of the English and Spanish USA THE THE Grand Bahama languages today, like barbecue. [Bah.] Grand Bahama Great Abaco [Bah.] [Bah.] Great Abaco [Bah.] Freeport Freeport N N Miami THE BAHAMAS Miami THE BAHAMAS GULF OF MEXICO W E GULF OF MEXICO Nassau W E Nassau Dry Tortuga [U.S.] Key West [U.S.] S Maya: a civilization in the Dry Tortuga [U.S.] S Key West [U.S.] Andros [Bah.] Havana TURKS & CAICOS ATLANTIC OCEAN Andros [Bah.] Yucatán Peninsula. Millions of Havana Cockburn Town CUBA TURKS & CAICOS Great Inagua [Bah.] ATLANTIC OCEAN Yucatán Peninsula Isla de la Juventud [Cub.] Cockburn Town DOMINICAN Tortuga [Ha.] REPUBLIC people speak Mayan languages Mérida BRITISH Great Inagua [Bah.] VIRGIN ISLANDS Isla Cozumel [Mex.] ANGUILLA Guantánamo Bay Yucatán Peninsula Campeche Georgetown Culebra Isla de la Juventud [Cub.] DOMINICAN Santo Domingo ST. KITTS ST. MARTIN San Juan [P.R.] & NEVIS SINT MAARTEN Vieques CAYMAN ISLANDSTortuga [Ha.] REPUBLIC Port-au-Prince today. They were known for [P.R.] St John’s BRITISHIsla Saona [D.R.] Mérida Veracruz U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS ANTIGUA & BARBUDA Mexico City VIRGIN ISLANDS Chetumal GUADELOUPE [France] Isla Cozumel [Mex.] Isla Beata [D.R.] ANGUILLA MONTSERRAT Guantánamo Bay PUERTO RICO St. Croix [U.S.V.I.] Campeche Georgetown Culebra Basse-Terre KingstonSanto Domingo ST. KITTS ST. MARTIN Marie-Galante [Gua.] Belize City their achievements in written San Juan [P.R.] & NEVIS SINT MAARTEN MEXICO Swan Islands [Hon.] Port-au-Prince Vieques DOMINICA Roseau CAYMAN ISLANDS BELIZE [P.R.] St John’s Isla Saona [D.R.] Fort-de-France MARTINIQUE [France] Veracruz U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS ANTIGUA & BARBUDA Mexico City Castries Chetumal HAITI GUADELOUPE [France]ST. LUCIA language, math, art, architecture, CARIBBEANIsla Beata [D.R.] SEA MONTSERRAT BARBADOS GUATEMALA St. Croix [U.S.V.I.] Bridgetown ST. VINCENT & Kingstown HONDURAS Basse-Terre Marie-Galante [Gua.] Kingston THE GRENADINES Belize City Guatemala JAMAICA Tegucigalpa Cayos Miskitos [Nic.] MEXICO Swan Islands [Hon.] DOMINICA Roseau GRENADA and astronomy, the study of the ARUBA St. George’s BELIZE CURAÇAO Fort-de-France San Salvador Isla de la Providencia [Col.] BONAIRE MARTINIQUE [France] NICARAGUA Port of EL SALVADOR Miskito Coast Los Roques [Ven.] Isla Margarita [Ven.] Willemstad Castries Spain TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Isla de San Andrés [Col.] ST. LUCIA Managua Isla La Tortuga [Ven.] stars and planets. Lake Managua Islas del Maiz [Nic.] BARBADOS CARIBBEAN SEA Barranquilla GUATEMALA Caracas Bridgetown Maracaibo Kingstown Lake Nicaragua ST. VINCENT & HONDURAS Cartagena THE GRENADINES Orinoco River Guatemala Maracaibo Tegucigalpa Cayos Miskitos [Nic.] COSTA RICA Lake San José PANAMA VENEZUELAGRENADA St. George’s Limón Panama Canal ARUBA CURAÇAO San Salvador PACIFIC OCEANIsla de la Providencia [Col.] Portobello BONAIRE Georgetown Colón Magdalena For Taínos, zemís (also NICARAGUA Miskito Coast Panama River Port of Zemi: Los Roques [Ven.] Isla Margarita [Ven.] EL SALVADOR City Willemstad Spain TRINIDAD GUYANA & TOBAGO Isla de San Andrés [Col.] Managua Isla La Tortuga [Ven.] Paramaribo Lake Managua Islas del Maiz [Nic.] spelled cemís) can be sacred Barranquilla Caracas SURINAME Maracaibo Cayenne Lake Nicaragua Orinoco River FRENCH Cartagena GUYANA Maracaibo [France] ancestral spirits, animals, or COSTA RICA Lake San José PANAMA Limón Panama Canal PACIFIC OCEAN Portobello Georgetown forces of nature with unique Colón Magdalena Map © El Museo del Barrio, New York. Created for the publication Caribbean: Art at the Crossroads of the World Panama River (New York: El Museo del Barrio in association with Yale UniversityCity Press, 2012), eds. Deborah Cullen and Elvis Fuentes, GUYANA published on the occasion of the exhibition, Caribbean: Crossroads of the World which opened in June 2012 at El Museo del Barrio, the Queens Museum of Art, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. powers. Zemís are also the Paramaribo SURINAME Cayenne objects that were thought to COLOMBIA FRENCH GUYANA Hazlo: [France] possess these special powers Raphael Montañez Ortiz was inspired to make this artwork by Taíno zemis and believed to protect the and the Mayan god Kukulcán. people who carried them. They often have three points, which Look carefully at these two images. Compare them to the artwork. reminded the Taínos of the three How are they similar? How are they different? different parts of their world: the ocean, the land, and the sky.

Kukulcán: a Mayan god whose name means “feathered snake.” He is the god of earth, wind, water, and fire.

Sigue Explorando: Raphael Montañez Ortiz was inspired by his cultural traditions to make this artwork. How does your culture inspire you? With your grown-up, think of some of your family’s favorite holidays, traditions, food and songs. Using the materials you have at home, create an artwork inspired by your own cultural traditions!

El Museo del Barrio’s Education & Public Programs are made possible by the Carmen Ana and Joseph Unanue Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Altman Foundation, Target Corporation, Unhate Foundation, Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, ConEdison, New York Yankees, Mount Sinai Medical Center, White Rose, EmblemHealth, and the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc. With the support of public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council: Speaker 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th St. New York, NY 10029 212 831 7272 www.elmuseo.org Christine Quinn, Council Members Gale Brewer, Daniel Dromm, Inez Dickens, Daniel Garodnick, Robert Jackson, Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Annabel Palma; The Hon. Domenic Recchia, Jr., Chair of the New York City Council Finance Committee; the New York City Council’s Manhattan Delegation; Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer; and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.