1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. Hi, 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: my name is Robert Lamb and this is the Artifact, 3 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: a short form series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: focusing in on particular objects, ideas, and moments in time. 5 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,319 Speaker 1: Chances are you've probably swung a broom handle at a 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: pinata before you know how this works. A brightly colored 7 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: paper mache, pottery, paper, cardboard, or cloth container is stuffed 8 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: full of candy or other treats and raised and lowered 9 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: by a rope as a blindfolded contestant takes wax at it. 10 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: After a few hysterical misses and punishing hits, the container 11 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: bursts and spills these treats on the ground to be 12 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: snatched up by eager hands. It's an activity and craft 13 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: strongly linked with Mexican customs, and is all so so 14 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: widely spread that it's easy to just take for granted. 15 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: I know, I did till I visited the Pinatas exhibit 16 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: at the Mengae International Museum in San Diego, California, running 17 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: through April thirty, twenty twenty three. The exhibit celebrates pinatas 18 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: as both a traditional craft and a form of contemporary art. 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: Sometimes aimed at social and political commentary. It was really 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: an eye opening exhibit from me into both the material 21 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: culture and the cutting humor of pinadas, and artists are 22 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: continuing to do a lot with this medium today. Another 23 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: area I'd never personally explored is the origin of the pinata, 24 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: a topic that the exhibit acknowledges is somewhat understudied. It 25 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: cites a twenty eighteen paper by Young Chin published in 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: the Fudan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences titled From 27 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: the Dachinu to the Pinata, Tracing the alleged Chinese origin 28 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: of a Mexican tradition. In the paper, Chin explores the 29 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: possible connection between the Chinese traditions surrounding the docunu, or 30 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: beating or lashing of the spring cattle, and the Mexican 31 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: pinata tradition. The Dacinu is an old springtime ritual in 32 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: which a large clay statue of an ox is filled 33 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: with seeds and then shattered by the emperor or an 34 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: imperial representative, scattering its contents on the ground. The ritual 35 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: performance is still practiced in China today. The hypothesis then, 36 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: is that this practice may have spread from China to 37 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: Italy via the Silk Road and or the travels of 38 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: Marco Polo during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The name 39 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: pinata may be derived from pigna, a clay pot in 40 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: the shape of a pine cone in Italian traditions. Around 41 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: this time, Italian Linton customs sometimes entailed the shattering of small, 42 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: simple clay vessels filled with fruits or sweets. So it 43 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,839 Speaker 1: is then proposed that this practice spread to the Americas 44 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: in the sixteenth century via Catholic Spanish missionaries who use 45 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: the practice as both a Catholic religious celebration and an 46 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: indoctrination tool for indigenous peoples. Now, obviously this is the 47 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: sort of practice that would just be inherently fun, as 48 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 1: this sort of ritual transcends language and beliefs, at least 49 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: in just the basic practice of shattering something, breaking something, 50 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: and finding a reward within. But it may also have 51 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: found a foothold in indigenous practices due to precontact rituals 52 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: of shattering clay pots in devotion to the Aztec solar 53 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: deity Withsulopotli. Now that's a long journey across multiple continents 54 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: and cultures, so the question remains, Is it possibly true? 55 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: Well Chin contends that we might tentatively attribute the origins 56 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: of the pinyada to Chinese customs, but that there's insignificant 57 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: evidence to make any definitive conclusions. So whatever the pinyada's 58 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: origins Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Aztec, or some mixture of them, 59 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: the pinata has become cemented as a distinctly Mexican and 60 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: Latin American tradition with broad international appeal. Tune in for 61 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: additional episodes of The Artifact or The Monster Fact each week. 62 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: As always, you can email us at contact at stuff 63 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: to Blow your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your 64 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: Mind is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from 65 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 66 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.