Return of the Corn Mothers - Inspiring Women of the Southwest

Return of the Corn Mothers
Through October 1, 2023
Inspiring Women of the Southwest
History Colorado Center
Free for members and kids 18 and under, Adults (19+), $15

Return of the Corn Mothers marks a three-year effort to honor 22 new Corn Mothers in 2022. What began in 2007 with a small grant from the Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute and eight local women, has now expanded to include more than 70 women.

Join in the rich tradition of honoring Southwest women through this revitalized exhibit. Share in an intergenerational gathering and honor the unsung heroes of the community, and celebrate the induction of 22 women to the Corn Mothers family.

Who Are the Corn Mothers?

The Indigenous peoples of southern Mexico started domesticating maize over 9,000 years ago. As cultivation of the once wild grass spread throughout the “Americas” and globally, the significance of this life-giving food was immortalized in legend and story. Among Southwest Pueblo peoples, the iconic Corn Mother deity embodied growth, life, creativity, community, and creation.

The Return of the Corn Mothers project is a book, a photographic body of work, and a written history exhibition at History Colorado of multi-generational and multi-cultural women from the Southwest who exemplify the essence of Corn Mother. Photographer Todd Pierson, editor Ed Winograd, graphic designer Toinette Brown, and curator Renee Fajardo, in conjunction with MSU Denver Chicana/o Studies, the Colorado Folk Arts Council, and the Chicano Humanities Arts Council, have spent 15 years documenting the stories of women, chosen by their communities, who have made selfless contributions and creative endeavors to better the lives of others.