Skip to main content
Selk'nam Women

Monthly showcase

The collections that the Tecnológico de Monterrey safeguards include works of art and documents from different periods and origins, mostly related to Mexican history and culture. In this section we present the featured object of the month, that is, a work from our collection selected to spread among our students and the community in general. For more information regarding the works included as the featured object of the month and their availability for consultation, please write to: patrimonio_cultural@servicios.itesm.mx

March 2026

Carla Rippey (1950), Selk'nam Women, 2002. Charcoal drawing, 134 x 134 x 5.5 cm. Art Collection. Campus Estado de México. Cultural Heritage of Tecnológico de Monterrey©.

The work of Carla Rippey (United States, 1950) activates memory through a critical analysis of the image. Her career in drawing and printmaking has been built upon rigorous research in photographs, archives, and historical documents, materials which she reinterprets to question the ways in which the body, especially the female body, has been represented and narrated. A distinctive feature of her practice is the use of drawing as a tool for thought, through which she deconstructs, quotes, and reconfigures images from the past to reveal their historical, political, and gendered tensions.

This drawing is based on a photograph of the last generation of Selk'nam women in southern Chile. The artist emphasizes their faces and clothing, highlighting the dignity of these women in the face of forced migration and displacement. At the same time, she articulates a critical stance toward the structural and systematic violence perpetrated against indigenous peoples, understood in both its historical and symbolic dimensions. 

This work is part of the exhibition "Migrants. A Tale of The Two Hearts", displayed simultaneously at two locations (Mexico City Campus and Monterrrey Campus), which, throung various pieces, invites us to reflect on the realities of migration. Both locations will be open to the public until July 2026. 

Febraury 2026

Pablo O'Higgins (1904-1983), Musician Crossing the River, 1976. Lithograph, 97 x 72.4 x 3.8 cm. Campus Estado de México. Cultural Heritage of Tecnológico de Monterrey©.

Pablo O'Higgins was a prominent american painter and engraver who came to Mexico at the invitation of Diego Rivera to collaborate on the murals at the National Preparatory School and the Chapingo School of Agriculture. He became a naturalized Mexican citizen after living in the country for thirty-seven years.

O'Higgins's works reflect his close relationship with Mexican culture, as well as with the social and political issues of the Mexico he lived in. In Musician Crossing the River, he depicts a man carrying his instrument, exposed, vulnerable, and without any clear sign of refuge, suggesting a difficult journey through a rural lanscape surrounded by mountains. This image can be interpreted as a metaphor for rural-urban migration, a human act of resistance and determination. His instrument represents the physical and symbolic burden he leaves behind in his place of origin to seek better opportunities. 

This work is part of the exhibition "Migrants. A Tale of The Two Hearts", displayed simultaneously at two locations (Mexico City Campus and Monterrrey Campus), which, throung various pieces, invites us to reflect on the realities of migration. Both locations will be open to the public until July 2026. 

January 2026

Guillermo Zamora (1913-2002), Daycare centers and chidcare facilities: Multifamily Miguel Alemán, 1946-1952. Digital archive Reproduction. Mario Pani Darqui Personal Archive Fund. Photolibrary of Tecnológico de Monterrey. "Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra" Special Collections Library. Monterrey Campus. Cultural Heritage of Tecnológico de Monterrey©.

In post-revolutionary Mexico, leisure and free time became fundamental tools for forging a modern and healthy citizenry. Figures like José Vasconcelos and Moisés Sáenz promoted the importance of physical education and recreational spaces in daily life. Within this context, Mario Pani emerged as a key figure, influenced by European funcionalism and the Athens Charter.

In more than 136 projects, including this President Miguel Alemán Urban Center, Pani integrated recreational areas such as daycare centers, preschools, playgrouds, sports courts, swimming pools, and gardens, promoting community and well-being. Furthermore, its focus on integrated desing fused architecture and the arts, with murals and sculptures that enriched urban spaces. This image shows a playground at a preschool, whose facade features animal reliefs designed by Guatemalan artist Carlos Mérida (1891-1984).

Thus, Pani's developments not only provided housing but also created environments that fostered community, relaxation, and social interaction, vital for the holistic development of citizens.

This image is art of the exhibition "Modernist Chimeras Mario Pani and Guillermo Zamora" Which will be on display from December 13th until April 2026 at the National Museum of Architecture in the Palace of Fine Arts of the INBAL.

December 2025

Guillermo Zamora (1913-2002), Women Observing from the President Miguel Alemán Urban Center, 1948. Digital archive Reproduction. Mario Pani Darqui Personal Archive Fund. Photolibrary of Tecnológico de Monterrey. "Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra" Special Collections Library. Monterrey Campus. Cultural Heritage of Tecnológico de Monterrey©.

Guillermo Zamora is a key figure in the visual record of post-revolutionary Mexico. His training as a painter and photographer shaped a keen eye for light, volume, and composition. His career is documented in fundamental works of Mexican photographic history. He was a pioneer in photographing leading artists and architects, including figures such as Juan O'Gorman, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Mario Pani, Sordo Madaleno, Barragán, and others. Much of his legacy as an architectural photographer is linked to the architectural projects of Mario Pani.

In this image, Guillermo Zamora captures three women observing the urban landscape from a balcony of President Miguel Alemán Urban Center (CUPMA), creating an expressive contrast between their shadowed silhouettes and the illuminated architecture in the background. The composition is articulated by diagonal lines formed by light and shadow on railings and walls, directing the viewer's gaze toward the main building and accentuaying the depth of the frame. The photograph reveals the coexistence of the intimate and the monument, between the women's everiday pause and the geometric forcefulness of the housing complex.

This image is art of the exhibition "Modernist Chimeras Mario Pani and Guillermo Zamora" Which will be on display from December 13th until April 2026 at the National Museum of Architecture in the Palace of Fine Arts of the INBAL.

Past years

Links of interest: Go to Cultural Heritage >