It only opened on Memorial Day of this year, but the New Mexico History Museum is doing well indeed...63,212 persons (as of yesterday) have visited, compared to 65,000 visitors to the Palace of the Governors (now incorporated in the History Museum) all of last year. Thus far, museum officials estimate about 60 percent of the visitors have been from New Mexico.
One exhibit that runs through August 16 is Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities, which features a rare collection of ensembles of women's,
men's and children's ceremonial dress, baby carriers, quilt covers, festive and religious vestments, silver jewelry, embroidered silk valences, and wax-resist dyed curtains, plus a loom, weaving tools, and embroidery cases. The more than 500 objects in this exhibit represent 15 ethnic groups and nearly 100 subgroups in China. The needlework and silverwork of each ethnic group show variations in their myths of origin and heroic combats, communal memories, and wish fulfillment.Building p
