Botanical Art Worldwide 2025
Mexico
About
In Mexico, we call milpa (from the Nahuatl milpan from milli "planted plot" and pan "on top of") the traditional agricultural system made up of a polyculture, which constitutes a dynamic space of genetic resources. Its main species is corn, accompanied by various species of beans, squash, chili peppers, tomatoes, and many others depending on the region; for example, the combination of corn-beans-squash is known as "the Mesoamerican triad."In this agricultural system, plants that grow naturally are used, mainly herbaceous species known as " quelites " (for example, purslane, quintoniles, huazontle, turnips, romeritos, among others). At the same time, the bushes and trees that live there are used, by providing fruits, fibers or seeds of local or regional interest. (https://biodiversidad.gob.mx/diversidad/sistemas-productivos/milpa).
On this occasion, an enthusiastic group of artists, including the most advanced participants of the Colectivo CICYNM in the botanical art courses, professionals and guest artists, will show the diversity of crops in the Mexican "milpa" using a variety of artistic techniques such as graphite, watercolor, acrylic, ink and others.
Of primary importance in this exhibition is that, at a global level, beautiful images of the "teocintle" plant will be made known, a plant native to central Mexico and whose domestication and hybridization approximately 10,000 years ago gave rise to the dozens of races and varieties of corn that feed the world.
Steering Committee
Almaluz Guzmán Ruiz
Aarón Estrada Dávila
Adriana Espinosa Serafín
Scientific Advisor Albar Ríos Sánchez, Agricultural Engineer
Venue
Museo Nacional de Agricultura
Universidad Autónoma Chapingo
Km 38.5 carretera, 56230 Texcoco de Mora México
Texcoco, Estado de México.
Dates
May 8 to July 6 , 2025
Left: Itzel Jaimes, botanical artist, studying the "teocintle" plant.
Right: Artists, Artists in a laboratory selecting corn strains for artistic representation.
Botanical Art Worldwide 2018
Native Plants of Mexico
About this Exhibition
It has been announced that the host venue for Mexico’s Botanical Art Worldwide exhibition will be the National Museum of Agriculture of the Autonomous University of Chapingo, in Texcoco, Mexico. This important historical site was the cradle of King Poet Nezahualcoyotl in the fourteenth century, and is located on the shores of the vanished lake that covered the area of what is now Mexico City. Collectiva de Ilustradores de la Ciencia y la Naturaleza de México is the organizing group for the exhibition, please see their website here: https://colectivocicyn.wixsite.com/cicyn.
artwork
Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) watercolor on paper, © Aarón Estrada Dávila
Photo courtesy Aarón Estrada Dávila
Artists at work documenting native plants in Mexico.
Organizers
Colectivo de Ilustradores de la Cienca y la Naturaleza de México
Steering Committee
Aarón Estrada Dávila
Biologist Judith Mendez Pacio
Biologist Cristobal Sánchez Sánchez, Ph.D.
Danira Acosta Leon
exhibition Venue
National Museum of Agriculture of the Autonomous University of Chapingo, Texcoco, Mexico
Photo courtesy Aarón Estrada Dávila
Photo courtesy Aarón Estrada Dávila
Location
National Museum of Agriculture of the Autonomous University of Chapingo, Texcoco, Km 38.5 carretera, 56230 Texcoco de Mora México