Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Presented in conjunction with the exhibitions Mixpantli: Space, Time, and the Indigenous Origins of Mexico and Mixpantli: Contemporary Echoes, comic, actor, singer, writer, and badass Sandra Valls guides audiences through a lively exploration of Indigenous artworks, artifacts, and contemporary maps charting histories of the Indigenous origins of Mexico. By the end of the program, you’re going to know fun facts about the artifacts, and you’ll come away with new knowledge of both exhibitions and the origins of Mixpantli.
Sandra Valls is a comic, actor, singer, writer, and badass. She made her Off-Broadway debut in 2019 with her smash hit play THE LATINA CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, which she co-wrote and co-stars in. She is best known for her stand-up performances in Showtime’s The Latin Divas of Comedy and Pride: LGBT Comedy Slam. Los Angeles Times calls Sandra “Talented and Hilarious”! Curve magazine named her as One of the Most Influential Queer Women in the Country and voted her One of the Top 10 Funniest Lesbian Comics. Latina Magazine voted Sandra One of the Top 33 Bad Ass Comics with Latin Roots.
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Mixpantli: Space, Time, and the Indigenous Origins of Mexico and Mixpantli: Contemporary Echoes are co-curated by Dr. Diana Magaloni the Deputy Director, Program Director and the Dr. Virginia Fields Curator of the Art of the Ancient Americas as well as the Suzanne D. Booth and David G. Booth Conservation Center Director at LACMA; and Alyce de Carteret, the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Art of the Ancient Americas Department at LACMA.
Both exhibitions were themselves conceived to rethink the traditional narrative of “conquest,” creating an opportunity on the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan to center instead the creative resistance of Indigenous artists.
Their works—illustrated histories, featherworks, stone sculptures, cartographic paintings—tell a story not of defeat but of perseverance, renewal, and an enduring commitment to an Indigenous future.
This program was originally presented on Zoom on April 19, 2022.
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About LACMA
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 140,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
Connect with LACMA
Subscribe for our latest videos: lacma.org/videos
Explore our collection online: collections.lacma.org
Plan your visit to LACMA: lacma.org/visit
Support the museum and become a member: lacma.org/support
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Presented in conjunction with the exhibitions Mixpantli: Space, Time, and the Indigenous Origins of Mexico and Mixpantli: Contemporary Echoes, comic, actor, singer, writer, and badass Sandra Valls guides audiences through a lively exploration of Indigenous artworks, artifacts, and contemporary maps charting histories of the Indigenous origins of Mexico. By the end of the program, you’re going to know fun facts about the artifacts, and you’ll come away with new knowledge of both exhibitions and the origins of Mixpantli.
Sandra Valls is a comic, actor, singer, writer, and badass. She made her Off-Broadway debut in 2019 with her smash hit play THE LATINA CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, which she co-wrote and co-stars in. She is best known for her stand-up performances in Showtime’s The Latin Divas of Comedy and Pride: LGBT Comedy Slam. Los Angeles Times calls Sandra “Talented and Hilarious”! Curve magazine named her as One of the Most Influential Queer Women in the Country and voted her One of the Top 10 Funniest Lesbian Comics. Latina Magazine voted Sandra One of the Top 33 Bad Ass Comics with Latin Roots.
___
Mixpantli: Space, Time, and the Indigenous Origins of Mexico and Mixpantli: Contemporary Echoes are co-curated by Dr. Diana Magaloni the Deputy Director, Program Director and the Dr. Virginia Fields Curator of the Art of the Ancient Americas as well as the Suzanne D. Booth and David G. Booth Conservation Center Director at LACMA; and Alyce de Carteret, the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Art of the Ancient Americas Department at LACMA.
Both exhibitions were themselves conceived to rethink the traditional narrative of “conquest,” creating an opportunity on the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan to center instead the creative resistance of Indigenous artists.
Their works—illustrated histories, featherworks, stone sculptures, cartographic paintings—tell a story not of defeat but of perseverance, renewal, and an enduring commitment to an Indigenous future.
This program was originally presented on Zoom on April 19, 2022.
___
About LACMA
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 140,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
Connect with LACMA
Subscribe for our latest videos: lacma.org/videos
Explore our collection online: collections.lacma.org
Plan your visit to LACMA: lacma.org/visit
Support the museum and become a member: lacma.org/support
Follow us on social
Facebook: facebook.com/LACMA
Twitter: twitter.com/lacma
Tumblr: lacma.tumblr.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/lacma
Instagram: instagram.com/lacma
