Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-09
EMBASSY ADORNED
WITH AZTEC ART.
Collection Brought Here by
Wife of Ambassador
From Mexico.
BY GRETCHEN SMITH.

on a top uoor OF the stately nome OF
the Mexican Ambassador, looking down
upon the busting traffic of Sixteenth
street, there is tucked away in room
specially prepared for it, little corner
of old Mexico. This is the favorite re-
treat of Sonora Dona Emilia Benoit de
Teller. the Ambassadors wife, who has
brought into her sanctuary, furnishings
and knick-knacks, rugs and tapestries
the like of which are to be found no
where in the world except in the
country, where long before the COM
ing of the white man, the mighty
Aztec nation had developed civiliza-
ton which to this day is the wonder
and admiration of historians.
It is not large room, this pic
turesque haven of the sonora, but it is
replete to the ceiling with beautiful and
curious objects every one of which
has been made by the Indian tribes of
Mexico. Just think" remarked Sonora
Teller, picking up water gourd. upon
which the most delicate and skillfully
designed figures had been traced by
masters hand, 1.-The decorations on this
gourd have been made by people IL
literate and uneducated, who neither
read nor write; yet it would be diff
is done by them"
Executed With Skill.
The designs in question was frieze
representing a group of animals inter-
spersed among some twisting vines. An
Armadillo, native to Mexico, some
monkeys, a rabbit, and numerous other
animals known to the natives of the
country had been executed with skill,
unsurpassed by the masters of the Old
World. Art, such as represented on
the gourd, had been known to the
Mexican Indians before the coming of
the ConquiStadoreS.
Sonora Teller encompassed the room
with sweep of the hand. Everything
you see in the room has been made by
the Indians of my country. These
rugs" pointing to numerous rugs and
mattings thrown on the floor, "have
come from as many different provinces
as you can see colors and designs.
Each province where the rug-making
Indians live produces different type
rug All the rugs are woven by hand
and the materials are dyed by the In
dians who make them"
Fine Tapestries on Walls.
On the walls of the room hung many
fine tapestries and Indian blankets,
quite different in design and fabric
from those made by the Indians of the
United States. Over the two or three
doors which lead into this unique Sc
clusion were 6raped some silk ShawlS
and high above the shawls could be seen
what appeared to be fish nets, but
which were explained to be native ham,
mocks made from the fiber of the "hen-
euuen plant" a plant similar to the
century plant, which grows in the prov
ince of Yucatan.
Sonora Teller drew attention to the
shaWls or "reboSaS" which hung above
the doors You might say the rebosa
is the native costume of the Mexican
women. Every woman OF the poorer
class wears one of these shawls. 1t is
very handsome rebosa to his fiance be-
fore they are married, and the saying
is that the shawl, of silk, must be so
fine that it can easily pass through the
wedding ring. These shawls which /
have here are of silk, but frequently
those worn every day by the poorer
classes are of cotton"
Cabinets Beautifully Carved.
Upon entering the senoras room one
is struck Immediately by the bright.
it is arranged. Against the wall are
two cabinets containing many faSclnat-
ing bits of pottery and other knlck-
knacks. These cabinets are beautifully
carved and the lacquerlng and colorlng
is quite Chinese in effect Several
chairs with hand-woven straw seats,
large table and a beautiful little chest
covered with the most exquisitely de-
signed figures and scenes OF MEXICO are
included in this set OF lacquer, Wnlcn,
although similar to the Chinese work IN
color and execution, has a dlstlnctlon
Of its own and Is unique IN the ngures
with which 1t is decorated.
"This art of lacquering as well as
the paints used, are secrets OF the
Mexican Indians, which they have never
disclosed to any outside OF their race.
They were masters in decorative art,
long before the Spanish settlement OF
Mexico and the only changes Wnlcn
occurred after the arrival OF the new
corners, we're in the subjects used IN
decoration. A church was copied or
other objects brought into the country
by the conquerors, instead OF ilgures
of the Mexican gods-but their SKIN IN
execution had been known to them 1or
many generations"
Material inexpensive.
The material used for making the
furniture was said by Sonora Teller to
be of the simplest. most inexpensive
pine. The great love of the poor coun-
try people for pretty things, unable to
buy furnishings for their two-room
dwellings, led them to produce the
lacquered pine furniture, which al
though inexpensive, is cheerful, attrac-
tive, and useful.
The great pottery industry OF her
country is we'll represented in this re-
treat Of Sonora Tellez, Two handsome,