The Library of Congress is presenting a special exhibition, "The
Cultures and History of the Americas," in celebration of this extraordinary
gift to the nation. "The
Cultures and History of the Americas" highlights some of the
treasures of the Kislak Collection and gives an idea of the breadth and
scope of the materials that comprise this major gift to the Library of
Congress. The complete collection -- which focuses on the history of the
early Americas, from the indigenous people of Mexico through the period
of European contact, exploration and settlement -- contains several thousand
rare books, maps, manuscripts and documents, as well as an extensive research
library of secondary sources. Complementing the books and manuscripts
is a group of masterworks of pre-Columbian artifacts and colonial art
from North and South America, spanning three millennia of Native American
and European cultures.
To acquaint visitors and scholarly audiences with the Kislak Collection,
the highlights exhibition presents approximately 50 artifacts that introduce
the themes of the collection and help to explain what motivated and inspired
the collectors, Jay and Jean Kislak of Miami.
Among the exhibition highlights are an Olmec
sculpture from circa 1100-500 B.C.; a letter from Christopher Columbus
published in 1493 describing his first voyage; a classic Mayan carved
jade plaque from A.D. 400-700; two paintings by Diego Rivera illustrating
scenes from the "Popul
Vuh," the creation myth of the ancient Quiche´ Maya; a
ceramic vase inscribed with Mayan hieroglyphics that tell the story of
a ruling dynasty; and a 16th century manuscript dictionary written in
Spanish and two different Mayan dialects.
The themes, briefly explored in the highlights exhibition, include the
pre-Columbian cultures of Central America and the Caribbean as revealed
in sculpture, architecture and language; encounters between Europeans
and the native cultures; the process of European colonization; and trade
and piracy in the American Atlantic and Caribbean.
