Brigham Young University Museum of Peoples and Cultures
| Location | Provo, Utah, United States |
|---|---|
| Type | University museum |
| Website | Museum of Peoples and Cultures |
The Brigham Young University Museum of Peoples and Cultures, located in Provo, Utah, is the university's museum of archaeology and ethnology. The Museum of Peoples and Cultures has a wide variety of collections containing over a million objects. Most of the 7,000 collections come from the regions of South America, Mesoamerica, Central America, the American Southwest, the Great Basin and Polynesia. However, there are many objects from other parts of the world which are available for study and research.
South America
Many of the Museum’s accessions come from the South American continent. One of the notable collections of the MPC is the ancient Andean textiles. The Spoerl Collection and the Cheesman Collection account for the majority of these textiles. The Spoerl Collection contains mostly textiles and textile production tools but the Cheesman Collection contains other ancient and modern artifacts from South America. The majority of the textiles from both collections date from the prehistoric period in Peru. There is a current exhibit, "Greater than Gold: Textiles of the Ancient Andes", displaying many of these textiles that will run through late 2016.
Mesoamerica and Central America
The Museum also has many accessions from Mesoamerica and Central America. Four select collections that contain a variety of artifacts from ancient and modern cultures of this region are the Cluff, Barlow, Bowen, and Krenusz Collections. The Barlow Collection is specifically from Costa Rica and Nicaragua and contains mostly ancient pottery. However, there are other artifacts such as axe heads and projectile points within the collection. The Birrell Collection contains ethnographic textiles from Mesoamerica and South America. Many of the pieces within this collection are women’s clothing such as skirts, sashes, hair wraps and huipils. The collection also contains a variety of woven blankets, rugs, and bags. However, it is important to note that the MPC ethnographic textile collection is not limited to Mesoamerica and South America but contains examples from other parts of the world. The Bowen Collection contains fine examples of ancient Mesoamerican pottery. The Krenusz Collection contains little pottery but has other important pieces like metal axe heads, blades and projectile points. The jade figurines and jewelry are also a highlight of this collection. Some of the most unusual objects from the Krenusz Collection are the ancient Mexican stamps which display a variety of animal and geometric designs. The Cluff Collection contains unusual black pottery which was acquired on an expedition by Benjamin Cluff to the American Southwest and Mesoamerica in the early 20th century.
...
Wikipedia