Anacostia museum exhibits African impact in Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum is hosting a traveling exhibit that explores a little known aspect of the African diaspora _ its reach to Mexico.

The exhibit, "The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present," opens Sunday at the southeast Washington museum. It was created by the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago and has traveled to New Mexico, California, Philadelphia and cities in Mexico.

The bilingual exhibit includes paintings, lithographs and historical texts to show the African impact on Mexican culture. It explores issues of race, culture and politics. Part of the title, "Yanga," refers to the African leader who founded the first free African township in the Americas in 1609.

The exhibit is on view through July 2010.

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