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Swingalong...

Swingalong...

Swing in Museum of Anthropology, Jalapa, Mexico

The Ancient Mexicans had a swinging time of it: leisure pursuits ranged from swings to hammocks, ballgames to board games, complex gambling to the simplest of toys. (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

Note how this couple are holding hands. Some things never change...

As usual, there’s more to these artefacts than meets the eye. It turns out that these delightful objects, from the Totonac culture, were working musical instruments! Each was a double whistle: when the swing is set in motion, the whistles attached to the backs of the figurines produce two different sounds... (source: Dances of Anáhuac by Gertrude Prokosch Kurath and Samuel Martí, 1964)

Photos by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore

Comments (2)

A

AxolotlSUN

27th May 2024

I knew we were SOMEWHAT fun

L

Lucas H

13th Oct 2018

Amazing! Mesoamerican cultures are unique, and yet can be so familiar in the most unexpected ways. Little details like swingsets and board games really highlight the casual side of mesoamerican life (a side that’s often missing from history). It helps bring us closer to people who lived many centuries ago.

M

Mexicolore

Exactly how we feel! Thanks for writing in. We’re far more interested in the nuances of everyday life than in the big ‘movers and shakers’...

Swingalong...

Swing in Museum of Anthropology, Jalapa, Mexico

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