On Thursday, the 25th, SPO grad student Alejandro Virue participated in the PLAS Graduate Workshop with a paper titled: "Fake and Authenticity in Pre-Columbian Art: The Case of Brígido Lara". In his presentation, Alejandro analyzed Brígido Lara's forgeries in relation to a change in the perception of pre-Columbian art in the United States that took place between the 1930s and 1960s. This reshaping had two dimensions. On one side, pre-Hispanic pieces took on an aesthetic dimension in addition to their value as objects of scientific study. On the other hand, they were used to promote hemispheric unity and cultural 

diplomacy, mainly through initiatives by institutions like the Office of Inter-American Affairs and the Pan-American Union. Pre-Columbian forgeries were one of the ways in which Mexican artisans responded to this new demand. The presentation delved into these shifts' aesthetic and historical implications, ultimately questioning the fluid boundaries between authenticity and inauthenticity in the art-culture system. The workshop was sponsored by the Program of Latin American Studies and organized by Graduate Students Yangyou Fang and William Mullaney. SPO grad student Jonathan Romero moderated. The presentation was followed by a discussion with Grace Kuipers, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at High Meadows Environmental Institute.