They observe with a creative eye a pre-Hispanic manuscript about medicinal plants

▲ For biologist Linda Balcázar, it's wonderful that natural remedies used by pre-colonial cultures, such as toloache, guava leaves, pennyroyal, and lemon balm, are still used today. n Photos IB-UNAM Botanical Garden Photo IB-UNAM Botanical Garden

Alondra Flores Soto

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, June 21, 2025, p. 2

After five centuries, the same plants from pre-Hispanic cultures are still used to soothe the body—a marvelous thing, celebrates biologist Linda Balcázar, on the occasion of the exhibition Memory, Textiles, and Nature: New Perspectives on the Codex de la Cruz-Badiano, open to the public at the IB-UNAM Botanical Garden. Among the aromas and live plants, you can explore works of art that interpret the oldest medical text written in the Americas.

Toloache, pennyroyal, mamey, beans, and lemon balm are some examples that are still used today to cure illnesses and that maintain their original uses, says the researcher who studied these traditional remedies in the Sonora market. Guava leaves were already used for hemorrhages, respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses; we continue to use them today .

Dedicated to the study of botany, Balcázar points out that several of these plants already have chemical research supporting their disease-remediating properties, which ancient Mexicans once used since ancient times.

University collaboration

The Codex of the Cruz-Badiano is the point of origin of the exhibition, which is a collaboration between the Botanical Garden of the National University and the Faculty of Arts and Design (FAD), with the purpose of linking art with science based on the document prepared almost five centuries ago, which deals with the original plants that since the beginning of life have been very important to satisfy the primary and daily needs of all human beings , he explains.

It is the first codex made in Mesoamerica, in which the daily use of medicinal plants by the ancient Mexicans was recorded before the arrival of the Spanish , although it was made 33 years after the arrival of the conquistadors to the new continent.

The Mestizo Codex was compiled with the knowledge of Martín de la Cruz, a naturalist physician, and Juan Badiano, both indigenous Mexicans. Cruz couldn't read or write, but he had all the knowledge to speak on the subject.

The manuscript, titled Book on the Medicinal Herbs of Indigenous Peoples, is very small, measuring just 15 by 20 centimeters. It is divided into 13 chapters, each addressing a specific part of the human body, such as skin diseases or women's diseases, from head to toe.

Balcázar recounted that the document was created as a gift to King Charles V of Spain to ask for financial assistance for the Colegio de la Cruz in Tlatelolco, which was experiencing financial difficulties at the time. They wanted to show him all the wealth of the New World and thereby gain his support .

The codex was completed in 1552 and taken to Spain. It is also known as the Traveling Codex because it was lost. In 1990, it was returned to Mexico by Pope John Paul II and is housed in the National Library of Anthropology.

Artistic reinterpretations

In these new perspectives exhibited at the Dahlia Forum of the Botanical Garden at Ciudad Universitaria, 43 artists contributed works reinterpreting a selection of national species. The majority of the pieces are by women, as only two men participated. They used techniques such as embroidery, cyanotype, collage , and watercolor to illustrate their uses throughout time.

You will see the artistic expression of these plants, many of which are still valid today , says the specialist to invite you to the special tour A trip through the Codex of the Cruz-Badiano on Saturdays June 21 and 28 at 11:30 a.m., which has a cost of 70 pesos and those interested can register at the Whatsapp number 56-1405-4445.

Visitors will first learn about one of the oldest existing codices on native plants in Mexico, and will learn about them through 43 works illustrated with different perspectives. They will also learn about their importance, their Nahuatl names, and the names we know them by today.

You'll also find a small section on how these remedies are sold in markets, both fragmented and in combination, so you can identify them. There are also some live specimens to identify next to the artists' paintings, such as begonias, lemon balm, tule, and toloache.

In an interview, Linda Balcázar commented that knowledge in the markets is very interesting because people continue to turn to traditional remedies, just as they did in pre-Hispanic times, despite the intervening centuries. Many people consume the plants; although it may seem incredible, they are widely used in the city .

There, they sell medicinal compounds using a complex identification system; there are people who have been selling for a long time and know how to combine them using basic formulas . In addition, many rely on bibliographic sources.

However, she warns, it's important to be careful, because some active ingredients can cause health problems if not used properly. It's important to know the dosages because drinking a cup of tea isn't the same as drinking a liter. It's also important to know how to store them so they retain their active ingredients, aromas, and essential oils. If you don't know how to dry them, all of this is lost.

When they come to the Botanical Garden, we tell them how to store these ingredients so that they retain their active ingredients, their aromas and essential oils, and for how long .

It's important to preserve herbal resources, especially because many people with limited resources are increasingly turning to medicinal plants . Likewise, people with greater economic means do so because the remedies left behind by Mexican ancestors are effective.

▲ Gustavo Pérez has degrees in engineering, mathematics, and philosophy and is considered one of Latin America's most renowned artists worldwide. Photo by Cecilia Rodarte

▲ For Gustavo Pérez, the discussion about whether ceramics is a minor art or a craft is over: for me, ceramics is a means of artistic expression, and that's it . Photo courtesy of the artist.

Angel Vargas

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, June 21, 2025, p. 3

If Gustavo Pérez has learned anything in his half-century of practicing the art of ceramics, it's to see with touch. He also believes that the final word in this discipline lies not with the creator, but with fire—the temperature—which gives the pieces their final shape and texture.

Originally from Mexico City, where he was born in 1950, the master—considered one of Latin America's most internationally renowned ceramic artists—returns to the nation's capital to showcase his most recent work, following his 2019 exhibition Self-Portrait: Black and White at the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana.

Titled Infinite Game, it brings together around 70 works from five series produced in the most recent five-year period.

They have different themes and techniques. There are pieces made on a wheel, made from plaques, painted and enameled, and others without enamel , he explains in an interview, which clarifies why the exhibition doesn't have a specific theme or common thread.

He points out, however, that one common factor among the pieces could be their playful essence: "I've always defined my work as research and play. Although now, with the passing of the years and without abandoning research, I think I'm managing to put more emphasis on the freedom of play ."

In a brief analysis of what he's done in these five years, Pérez finds that there's a kind of look back to the past aimed at discovering new horizons and paths for his work. Some pieces, technically, are a return to 25 or 30 years, especially those with knife drawings, something very characteristic of my work. So, it's been a matter of using that technique again, but with different results. They're new ideas that result from experimentation in other directions. There is, then, that return to themes from the past, but also, especially with the pieces made with plates, a search in new directions.

–Where is this search heading now?

–I can't define where it's taking me; I can't do it, at least not with words, but with pieces, with works. It's a work that, if I could explain it, I wouldn't. I think that if something can be explained with words, then it should be done that way, and since I can't write or talk about my work, I do it.

According to the artist, the above is a similar situation to what happens with the discipline he practices: the craftsman molds the pieces, and the kiln takes care of the rest. In ceramics, there is this ultimate definition that is in the hands of fire. So, I leave the precision or conceptual definition of what I do to the critics. If there is a definition for that, then go ahead, but I'm not particularly interested .

–Is ceramics fully recognized as art in Mexico?

–Over the 50 years I've been involved in this field, there has long been a debate about whether it's a minor art or a craft. I've never participated in it, because for me, ceramics is a means of artistic expression, and that's it.

It's an outdated discussion: many artists around the world, several of them very important in the field of contemporary art, use ceramics. They have gradually made their way into the collections of the most important museums , he adds.

For example, I'm invited to participate in the reopening of the Cartier Foundation in Paris this October, at the Palais Royal. It's an extraordinary venue next to the Lourve Museum, where they'll be exhibiting 10 of my pieces that are already part of their collection. For me, that's proof that ceramics is art; I don't need to say much more.

Gustavo Pérez is the first Mexican artist-ceramist to receive an invitation from the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, one of the leading European porcelain factories located in France, to undertake a work placement, which lasted from 2007 to 2009.

Sèvres is almost three centuries old. It's an extraordinary place where you'll find pieces commissioned by Napoleon, Louis XIV, and Madame de Pompadour. It's like entering a very special world, a part of French history. It's been very interesting, rich, and enjoyable to discover.

–Before ceramics, you studied engineering, mathematics, and philosophy. What of that background is expressed through your hands and your contact with clay?

–I can't really know, because one has as a background for expression everything one has known in life, and one can often ignore where a certain form of expression, sensitivity, or awareness of art comes from.

My interest in mathematics, for example, may be reflected in what I do, to some extent, but perhaps it's more my interest and passion for music and literature, which I've also continued to pursue. I don't make music, but I listen to it very attentively; that's certainly influenced my work.

Infinite Game will remain open until August 3rd at Gallery 526 of the Mexican Culture Seminar (Presidente Masaryk 526, Polanco), Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, June 21, 2025, p. 4

Social and cultural activists are seeking to halt, with four injunctions, the total demolition of the City of Arts in Tepic, Nayarit, and prevent the construction of the Nicolás Álvarez Ortega soccer stadium in its place.

Two of these injunctions seek to prevent the removal of opponents of the new project from the area and to prevent the presence of members of the State Investigation Agency and the State Attorney General's Office.

In a press conference via Zoom, lawyers and activists stated that "the legal strategy is divided into two fronts. The first is from the Article 27 comrades; they are taking legal action to stop the demolition and construction and restore all artistic, cultural, and environmental rights of the City (of the Arts)."

Nayarit lawyers filed two injunctions intended to protect protesters because, as the federal criminal courts have stated, there is an imminent risk to their physical safety , said jurist Luis Daniel Juárez.

He explained that provisional suspensions have already been granted in the protection cases for the protesters, and they expect them to become final soon. He also specified that all the injunctions have been filed at the federal level.

For his part, Isaac Cárdenas, an activist and opponent of the Nicolás Álvarez Ortega stadium, stated that they will not back down in their defense of the City of the Arts. He also pointed out that the proper protocol was not followed regarding the trees and palm trees in the area, which indicates that they should be relocated to another green area.

He stated that they remain open to dialogue with state authorities and reiterated that those defending that area will continue to monitor it 24 hours a day.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Nicolás Álvarez Ortega stadium's construction gathered in the rain and listened to former soccer player Ramón Ramírez, who spoke out in favor of the stadium's construction.

Artemisa Miralrio, a resident of the area for more than 70 years, expressed her pleasure at having this space again, because the stadium gave us identity .

Following speeches in support of the Nayarit government's project, led by Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero, the residents dispersed amid heavy downpours.

▲ In the western Vosges mountains, northeastern France, lies Mirecourt, a small town that was the center of string instrument making in the 18th century and the birthplace of the French Stradivarius family, Nicolas Lupot, one of the most illustrious violin makers of his time. It is also home to the Ecole Nationale de Lutherie (National School of Luthier Making), founded in 1970. This training center for those aspiring to become master luthiers , where students learn to master traditional violin, viola, and cello playing, enabling them to practice their profession both in France and abroad, thus contributing to the international recognition of this unique school. Photo AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, June 21, 2025, p. 4