Projects
De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey
De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey is an exhibition of Mexican cuisine and food culture from the perspectives of farmers, scientists, vendors and chefs.
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De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
This exhibition celebrates the richness of Mexican food from the farm (milpa is Spanish for a farm that grows maize, beans and squash) through to the table. It shares the perspectives of farmers, scientists, vendors, chefs and home cooks on food and agriculture, and how they are being affected by contemporary problems like natural disasters, climate change, loss of biodiversity and the COVID-19 pandemic.
De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey has been accompanied by an exciting events programme, giving visitors the chance to dive deeper into Mexican food culture. In Wellington, for example, 4700 visitors came to the exhibition and events, which included Mexican dance, cooking, language, film, art, literature and history.
De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey is an intercultural exhibition. It has given New Zealanders the chance to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of Mexico and go beyond the clichés and stereotypes we are familiar with. The exhibition shows us how important Mexico is to New Zealand and inspires New Zealanders to learn more about Latin America and its languages, cultures and societies – as well as its delicious food.
The exhibition came about through a partnership between Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico City. It was led by seven postgraduate students in New Zealand and Mexico City, who were on internships offered by the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence Cultural Sector Partnerships programme. It also involved students on the Museum and Heritage Studies programme at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, and their industry mentors; and the Wellington-based Mexican community and volunteers, which included Mexican papier mâché artist Ruben Puertos.
The team in New Zealand and Mexico worked together remotely for several months to develop the exhibition. Despite a 17-hour time difference and travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team combined their specialist expertise and cultural backgrounds to find intercultural solutions to representing the exhibits, engaging the audience and conveying content without stereotyping.
In August 2021, De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey won the Resene Total Colour Installation – Experiential – Product Colour Maestro Award.
De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey toured around New Zealand until May 2023. The exhibition team hopes to follow it with an exhibition about New Zealand to show in Mexico.
“It has been incredible seeing the public coming in and enjoying the exhibition and telling us they’re amazed by the things they didn’t know about Mexico, and that it has changed their view of the country – for the better!”
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Poster 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Events 2021
Music and Dance of Mexico. Workshop poster 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Print workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Print workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cacao workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cacao workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cacao workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cooking workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cooking workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Poster 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington. Photo Colin McDiarmid 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Auaha, Wellington 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Events 2021
Music and Dance of Mexico. Workshop poster 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Print workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Print workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cacao workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cacao workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cacao workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cooking workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Cooking workshop 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa 2021
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
De la Milpa a la Mesa. Te Uru. Photo by Sam Hartnett 2023
Dates
2022 to 2023
Venues
Te Auaha NZ Institute of Creativity
Further reading
Languages of delivery
English
Spanish
Visit the project site
People involved
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Dr Lee Davidson
People
Dr Leticia Pérez-Castellanos
People
Nicole Freeman
People
Alex Gordon
People
Giselle Yatsiri Varela Vázquez
People
Krissy O’Connor
People
Dr María Fernanda Isaza Múnera
People
Mariana Palma Narváez
Institutions involved
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Institutions
Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence
Argentina & Brazil & Chile & Colombia & Costa Rica & Cuba & Ecuador & Mexico & Peru & Uruguay
Institutions
Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
Argentina & Brazil & Chile & Colombia & Mexico & Peru
Related Content
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Resources
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Argentina & Brazil & Bolivia & Chile & Colombia & Costa Rica & Cuba & Dominican Republic & Ecuador & El Salvador & Guatemala & Honduras & Mexico & Nicaragua & Panama & Paraguay & Peru & Uruguay & Venezuela
