The Aztec World Public Programs

For Immediate Release
Contact: Nancy O'Shea
(312) 665-7100 (For Media Use Only)

The Aztec World Education (Public) Programs:

PERFORMANCES

Nahuí Ollin
Watch as members of this Chicago-based dance troupe perform indigenous ceremonial dances from Mexico and listen as they play native instruments such as the jarana, huehuetl drum, rattles, whistles, and a guitar made from a turtle shell.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Free with Basic admission.

Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Free with Basic admission.

Michael Heralda: Aztec Stories
Aztec Stories is an intriguing and thought provoking way to learn about the culture of ancient Mexico and the indigenous worldview of the Mexika/Aztecs. Through the use of ballads, narratives and poetry, the history, philosophy, culture, ceremonies, traditions, foods, and arts of ancient Mexico are revealed from an indigenous perspective.
Student Presentation: March 6, 2009
Public Performance: March 7, 2009
Free with Basic admission. Pre-registration required for student program.
 

FAMILY PROGRAMS

Family Workshop: Creating Codices
Families will be introduced to the codices as primary sources for understanding Aztec culture and learn about the artistic techniques used to create them.
For families with children 7-12 years old.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
10-11:30am
$7, members $4

Scientists at the Field
Meet a Field Museum scientist and see rarely displayed specimens from our Mesoamerican collections.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
11am-2pm
Free with Basic admission.

Kraft Story Time
Take a seat in the Crown Family PlayLab, hear a story, and make an art project to take home, all in 20 minutes! Stories during November will highlight Mexico.
Saturdays and Sundays in November 2008
1:30pm
Free with Basic admission.

Interpretive Stations
Highlighted stations will include:

• Aztec Sun Stone
  Utilize the cast of the Aztec Sun Stone in The Ancient Americas exhibition to explore the images found on the tablet and discover their meaning.
   
• Mega Maps of the Americas
  Explore the sites and evidence illustrating the routes the first peoples of the Americas took to spread across the continents.  Find out more about Native peoples' explanation of their origins in these lands.
   
• The Story of Domestication
  Turkey, tobacco and corn, oh my! Discover the story of domestication for these products and others. Trace the routes and history of these products, first through trade and later through industrialization.

Available select weekends throughout run of exhibition.
Please check the information kiosk on the day of your visit for a list of the day's activities.
Free with Basic admission.

EDUCATOR PROGRAMS

Educator Guide
An on-line educator guide will be posted on The Aztec World web site November 2008. Designed to help teachers plan a focused field trip, the guide will include pre, during and post activities to use in the exhibition and key resources, materials and broad ideas linked to Illinois Learning Standards.
A bilingual student guide will also be included in the educator guide. It will offer a walking tour of the exhibition, with overviews of each gallery and guided activities for each section of the exhibition, as well as links to The Ancient Americas exhibition.

Educator Viewing: The Aztec World
Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 4-7pm
Educators will preview the exhibition and explore classroom connections to The Aztec World.
Pre-registration required.

STUDENT PROGRAM

Student Class: The Aztec World (Grades 3-8)
Students will explore the many facets of Aztec daily life. Class will include a guided tour through The Aztec World exhibition.
Offered in both English and Spanish.
Available Mondays-Fridays, November 3, 2008-April 17, 2009
10:00am-12:30pm
Pre-registration required.