Florencia Müller in Cualác, Guerrero
by José Solé (NYU MIAP)
On April 12, the Orphan Film Symposium session called Fieldwork: Excavation and Extraction includes the presentation “Florencia en Cualác” by Tania López Espinal (Cineteca Nacional de México) & Mariana Hernández Blanca (Salvamento Arqueológico Tren Maya). They will screen the newly preserved film Cualác, Cueva Ostocama (1951) and discuss an important figure in archeology whose work is documented in the footage, Florencia Müller (1903-1984).
Mexico has 49,347 registered archaeological sites across a wide range of environments, with varied antiquity and diverse cultural origins. These cataloged sites represent only a fraction of the estimated one million existing ones across the country. Since its foundation in 1939, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has been the governmental institution in charge of safeguarding the archeological and historical heritage of the nation; however, the archeological tradition can be traced back to the 18th century, marked by significant discoveries such as the Coatlicue statue, unearthed in 1790 during excavation of a water canal at Mexico City’s main square.
The infrastructural development of Mexico during the 20th century brought with it the need to implement strategies for the recovery of archeological objects and the analysis of areas susceptible to alteration during public works projects. In response, the Archaeological Salvage Directorate (Dirección de Salvamento Arqueológico) was established in 1977 as part of the INAH. Additionally, in the 1980s, the institute set up a videotheque to provide information and house audiovisual documents for reference to the personnel of the Directorate.
In 2017, Mariana Hernández Blanca, then working at the National Coordination of Archaeology of the INAH, and archaeologist Francisco Ortuño Cos expressed concerns about the storage conditions of some of the earliest materials once housed at the vidéothèque. This prompted a request for assistance from the National Film Archives of Mexico (Cineteca Nacional), which subsequently received a collection of twelve 16mm archaeological films.
Frame from the film cataloged as Cualác, Cueva Ostocama (1951), showing archaeologist Emilia Florencia Jacobs Müller on horseback. Source: Tania López Espinal, Cineteca Nacional México
Tania Espinal, researcher, conservator, and specialist in small-gauge films, led the preservation of these materials. During their inspection, eleven of the twelve films were found to be in color, with the exception of the oldest one, dating back to 1951. This particular film was identified by an inscription on the can: “Doña Florencia Müller […] foto. César Lizardi, Cuálac, Gro. Cueva Oztocamac” (Ms. Florencia Müller. Photography by César Lizardi. Cuálac, State of Guerrero. Oztocamac Cave). The footage turned out to be silent moving image documentation of the fieldwork conducted by Emilia Florencia Jacobs Müller, a pioneer in Mexican archeology and the first woman to graduate with a degree in archeology from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH).
Espinal’s digitization of these 16mm prints has facilitated further cataloging and research. She and Hernández continued to utilize interviews, archival documents, and bibliographic records to contextualize this and other films in the collection.
Bios
Tania Espinal is a cultural heritage conservator. Since 2016, she has been working in the field of film preservation. She is Head of the Archivo Memoria Project at Cineteca Nacional and of the Collective Día del Cine Casero, which promotes the preservation, projection, and oral history of home movies and orphan films.
Mariana Hernández holds an MA in Art History and is a researcher of pre-Hispanic and historical issues. Since 2023 she has been part of the archaeological salvage of the “Mayan Train,” in Mexico. She is now responsible for the historical, archaeological, and artistic consultancy for upcoming exhibits in train stations and airports related to the discoveries made during the construction of Tren Maya. (During the large railway project in the Yucatán Peninsula, thousands of Mayan-era artifacts have been unearthed in recent years. See this INAH TV video from 2023.)
Sources
In addition to the Espinal and Hernández symposium proposal (Oct. 2023) these published sources informed this post.
• Amador, Judith. 2017. “La arqueología mexicana, una historia de siglos.” Proceso magazine. proceso.com.mx/cultura/2017/6/5/la-arqueologia-mexicana-una-historia-de-siglos-185582.html.
• Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. n.d. “Zonas Arqueológicas.” Mediateca INAH. mediateca.inah.gob.mx/islandora_74/islandora/object/inah:sitioprehispanico.
• “Reivindicar a mujer en historia de arqueología mexicana, deuda pendiente.” 2013. INHA Bulletin, gob.mx archived webpage, inah.gob.mx/boletines/856-reivindicar-a-mujer-en-historia-de-arqueologia-mexicana-deuda-pendiente.
• “Emilia Florencia Jacobs Baquero.” es.wikipedia.org.
• “Emilia Florencia Jacobs.” FamilySearch website, ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LKLF-QKP/emilia-florencia-jacobs-1903-1984, which displays this “Fig. 19” photograph, scanned from an unidentified source:
