Colonialism | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/colonialism/RSS feed for ColonialismenFri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000A Monumental 18th-Century Portrait of a Young Polynesian Man—a 'Supreme Work of Art'—Visits the U.S. for the First Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-monumental-18th-century-portrait-of-a-young-polynesian-man-a-supreme-work-of-art-visits-the-us-for-the-first-time-180989699/The massive "Portrait of Mai" depicts the first Pacific Islander to visit Britain, a young man who became a quasi-celebrity in the 1770s after joining the expedition of explorer James CookFri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-monumental-18th-century-portrait-of-a-young-polynesian-man-a-supreme-work-of-art-visits-the-us-for-the-first-time-180989699/The Marquis de Lafayette's Brother-in-Law Participated in Three Revolutionary Wars, Supporting American Independence but Brutally Suppressing an Uprising by Enslaved Africans in Haitihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/Louis-Marie, Viscount de Noailles, served during the American, French and Haitian Revolutions. "He fights wherever France fights, because he's a soldier and he believes in France," a historian saysThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:13:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/A Rare Aztec Codex Detailing the Rise and Fall of Tenochtitlan Returns to Mexico for the First Time in Nearly Two Centurieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-aztec-codex-detailing-the-rise-and-fall-of-tenochtitlan-returns-to-mexico-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-two-centuries-180989536/The artifact, among the most prized visual accounts of Aztec history, will be on display in Mexico City for three monthsMon, 21 Sep 2026 19:34:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-aztec-codex-detailing-the-rise-and-fall-of-tenochtitlan-returns-to-mexico-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-two-centuries-180989536/A Herd of 40 Life-Size Bison Puppets Will Stampede Through New York This Weekend to Honor Indigenous History and Resiliencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-herd-of-40-life-size-bison-puppets-will-stampede-through-new-york-this-weekend-to-honor-indigenous-history-and-resilience-180989525/The massive bovines, each maneuvered by three puppeteers, will roam through Lower Manhattan and BrooklynFri, 18 Sep 2026 18:44:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-herd-of-40-life-size-bison-puppets-will-stampede-through-new-york-this-weekend-to-honor-indigenous-history-and-resilience-180989525/Unsealed for the First Time in 600 Years, This Tomb in Peru Was Just Declared the 'Discovery of the Decade'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/unsealed-for-the-first-time-in-600-years-this-tomb-in-peru-was-just-declared-the-discovery-of-the-decade-180989497/Archaeologists excavating Chan Chan, the capital of the pre-Inca Chimú civilization, found an undisturbed mausoleum that held the remains of at least 38 individuals, as well as a trove of rich funerary goodsMon, 14 Sep 2026 19:05:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/unsealed-for-the-first-time-in-600-years-this-tomb-in-peru-was-just-declared-the-discovery-of-the-decade-180989497/