HOUSTON, TEXAS.- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,presents "The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico: Treasures from the Museo Franz Mayer," on view through August 4, 2002 at the Audrey Jones Beck Building. This exhibition is the first in the United States to celebrate the culture of viceregal Mexico, an extraordinary era (1521-1821) when Spanish viceroys ruled Mexico. Located in Mexico City, the Museo Franz Mayer houses an incomparable collection of Mexican colonial arts assembled by financier Franz Mayer (1882-1975). Although born and reared in Germany, Mayer cherished the heritage of his adopted country, Mexico. He created a museum and donated his substantial collection to the Mexican nation. The Franz Mayer collection reveals that influences from many cultures-Pre-Columbian, Spanish, Islamic, and Chinese-came together in the art of colonial Mexico. The objects exhibited at the MFAH testify to this fascinating confluence of cultures.

To learn more about the exhibition, visit the Web site created by the MFAH education department and the students and faculty in the Program in Instructional Technology in the College of Education at the University of Houston.