National Postal Museum Launches “Mexico Via Airmail” Online Exhibit

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum announces the launch of “Mexico Via Airmail,” a new online exhibit that highlights how Mexico used airmail stamps to promote a progressive national image worldwide following its revolution in 1910. The Mexican government exported nationalism through images of nature and technology in harmony, comparisons of ancient and contemporary art and culture, and the mix of Ancient Mayan hieroglyphics and fiesta colors with 1960s op-art typography in the 1968 Olympic Games graphic designs. The exhibit, created by Cheryl R. Ganz, the museum’s chief curator of philately, is bilingual and features both stamps and mail of Mexico.

Throughout the 20th century, Mexico issued more than 600 airmail stamps. This exhibit features examples of airmail stamps and mail organized in three categories: Nature and Technology, Ancient to Contemporary Culture and the 1968 Olympic Games.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., in the Old City Post Office Building across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information visit the museum’s Web site at postalmuseum.si.edu.

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