Comanche Mask for Carnival and Day of the Dead Dances Huastec People San Luis Potosí, Mexico 1997 International Folk Art Foundation   The Latin American collection includes folk art from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Numbering over 40,000 pieces, this collection comprises the largest holding in the museum, with the vast majority dating from the mid-20th century. Objects from Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Brazil and other countries with large indigenous populations are particularly well represented. The predominant types of objects include wood and ceramic figures, dance masks, folk religious objects, utilitarian ceramics, village costumes, jewelry prints, paintings, dolls and toys. To keep pace with the dynamic artistic atmosphere in Latin America, we feel it is important to travel to various regions to purchase folk art directly from the artists and document the cultural setting in which it is being made. One of our particular interests is folk art that reflects political and social issues of Latin America, including relations with the United States. To fill gaps in our collection we also continue acquiring outstanding examples of Latin American folk art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Necklace Choapan, Oaxaca, Mexico Early 19th century International Folk Art Foundation Woodblock Print A Criador de Porco Jose Borges Bezerros, Pernambuco, Brazil c. 1995 Gift of Jim and Beej Nierengarten-Smith Lacquerware bowl Nahua People Olinala, Guerrero, Mexico 1876 Gift of Girard Foundation Toy Car Aguas Caliente, Mexico c. 1965 Gift of Girard Foundation About the Collections   Curators   Collections African   Asian & Middle Eastern   Contemporary Hispano & Latino   European & North American Latin American   Spanish Colonial   Textiles & Costumes