Representing communities and societies from across the Americas, this collection captures the arts, traditions, worldviews, and practices of living cultures
The American ethnology collection dominates the anthropology collections with about 21,000 objects from nearly every corner of the Americas representing hundreds of cultural groups. Objects range from those made last year to the 1700s, from unidentified to maker-identified, and from hobbyist creations to artistic masterpieces. The region in and around Colorado is prime, representing 65% of the collection, and the majority of the objects are from Native American tribes in North America. Strengths also include Hispanic crafts, Mexican Indian arts, Guatemalan and Andean textiles and utilitarian objects, and a variety of Amazonian objects. Several small documented holdings derive from travelers and government or business missions.