“Distant Cities in the Mist” Exhibit Grant

David Bailey, Curator of History, received a $3000 grant from the Inge Foundation in Texas to assist in the construction of a new exhibit at the Museum of the West entitled “Distant Cities in the Mist” that will open on November 12, 2009. The exhibit chronicles the efforts of Spanish and possible Mesoamerican explorers in their search for mythical colonies and kingdoms. 

This exhibit will examine the connection between Utes and Aztecs which speak the same Uto-Aztecan language and have similar myths and legends. The display will introduce Aztec migration maps, rock art and artifacts that hint at visits by Mesoamerican people to the Southwest. 

The Spanish section of the exhibit will utilize early Spanish Colonial maps, diaries, documents, artifacts and archaeological evidence to trace their journey into western Colorado and adjacent regions. The Mesoamerican section will explore the trade between prehistoric communities in the Southwest and Aztec and pre-Aztec cultures.

The Museum of West emphasizes education and this new exhibition will introduce thousands of schoolchildren to the Spanish Colonial Empire, its myths, dreams and arduous pursuit of the unattainable. They will also learn about the prehistoric native peoples, the Utes, their vast trading cultures and their connections to ancient Mesoamerican peoples.

The Inge Foundation grant money will be used to build Plexiglas cases and mounts for the exhibition artifacts, archival mounts, graphic supplies, rare print reproductions and other building material.