Raymundo Fraga Valle’s Collection in Puebla, Mexico and the Choreography of Cultural Meaning

Raymundo Fraga Valle, based in Puebla, occupies a distinctive position within the field of Mexican dress studies as a collector, curator, and cultural interlocutor whose work bridges material culture, ethnography, and fashion history. His collection which has been assembled through sustained engagement with artisans, regional traditions, and systems of making, constitutes not merely an archive of garments, but a dynamic repository of cultural knowledge. It is particularly rich in examples of Indigenous and vernacular dress from across central and southernRead more

The Museo Universitario Casa de los Muñecos (Puebla, Mexico)

The Museo Universitario Casa de los Muñecos is one of my (many) favourite museums in Puebla City. Built in 1784, it is a distinctive example of late colonial civil architecture and today functions as a university museum administered by the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). The building is attributed to Agustín de Ovando y Villavicencio, a prominent local official who constructed it in the late eighteenth century during a period of economic and cultural flourishing in Puebla (Lugares TurísticosRead more

Garibaldi, the Red Shirt, and the Politics of Dress

Garibaldi, the Red Shirt, and the Politics of Dress In 1849, during the short-lived Roman Republic, politics unfolded not only in speeches, decrees, or military strategy, but on the surface of the body itself. In the streets and on the defensive walls of Rome, identity was made visible through clothing, gesture, and presence. At the centre of this moment stood Giuseppe Garibaldi and his volunteer fighters, the Garibaldini, whose distinctive red shirts would become one of the most enduring symbolsRead more