Mexican cuisine: the vision of Teresa Nava

This exhibition consists of 19 scale models made by the Pueblan artist Teresa Nava Perez (1922-2005).

By Museo del Estanquillo

teresa nava, From the collection of: Museo del Estanquillo

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Candy stores, hair salons, butcher shops and stands, among other types of shops prevalent during the era, were recreated in full detail in scale models by artist Teresa Nava Pérez

mapa, From the collection of: Museo del Estanquillo

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Born on Calle 8 Poniente in the capital of the city of Puebla de los Ángeles.

carniceriaMuseo del Estanquillo

Basic foods

This section shows some of the stores in the early 19th century in the city of Puebla, where ingredients could be purchased to make food.

lecheriaMuseo del Estanquillo

Dairy store

RecauderíaMuseo del Estanquillo

Greengrocer's shop

PescaderíaMuseo del Estanquillo

Fish store

abarrotesMuseo del Estanquillo

General store

panaderiaMuseo del Estanquillo

Bakery

cocina tradicionalMuseo del Estanquillo

Kitchens

Teresa Nava invites us to contemplate each element of the scene she presents. She encourages us to find the beauty of the everyday. In the following section, we can find three different types of traditional kitchens from the early 19th century.

elaboracion de dulcesMuseo del Estanquillo

Confectionery

cocina de monjasMuseo del Estanquillo

Nun's kitchen

expendio aguasMuseo del Estanquillo

Establishments

Teresa Nava was a kind of archaeologist of the traditions of her hometown, which we can recognize in these examples of old establishments. These scale models freeze a moment in time and immortalize it.

heladeriaMuseo del Estanquillo

Ice cream shop

aguas frescasMuseo del Estanquillo

Aguas Frescas (Fruit Beverages)

dulceriaMuseo del Estanquillo

Candy Shop

cafe de chinosMuseo del Estanquillo

Chinese Cafe

pulqueria la rorraMuseo del Estanquillo

Pulquerías

The pulquerías (or pulque bars) deserve an honorable mention. This is because, even though they themselves are not dedicated to making food, they are part of Mexican gastronomy.

In the words of Nava, "Any pulquería made was a pulquería that sold!... I think I sold six or seven. It was then that I started to think, "why don't I make stores, and not just pulquerías? And so I went on to make household cleaning product stores, pharmacies, carpenter's shops, bakeries..."

pulqueriaMuseo del Estanquillo

Pulquería (pulque bar)

vinos y licoresMuseo del Estanquillo

Wine and spirit shop

cocina de monjasMuseo del Estanquillo

Teresa Nava in the Carlos Monsiváis collections

In each of these scale models, a piece of community life is shown. For this reason, Carlos Monsiváis was fascinated by the precision with which Teresa depicted local commercial establishments and other typical scenes of Puebla.

The artist made 130 scale models for the writer over the course of 20 years, which invariably form part of the exhibitions at the Museo del Estanquillo.

Credits: Story

Textos: Ana Laura Peña Aguilar y Ana Catalina ValenzuelaFotografías: Francisco SalasObra de referencia: Escenas mexicanas en la obra de Teresa Nava. Museo Soumaya, 1997.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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