The San Diego Museum of Man has long had outstanding anthropological collections. Two of their most important are the Oaxacan Indian costumes and the Southwest Native American textile collection. The Oaxacan collection consists of 800 pieces collected from over 150 villages and the Southwest textile collection contains representations of a wide variety of styles, weaves, and time periods of objects made by Navajo, Rio Grande Pueblo, Hopi, and Rio Grande Spanish-Americans. Both collections are well documented; they are irreplaceable, represen- ting old traditions that are disappearing due to contact with Western European and American cultures. The existing storage facilities for these textiles is limited and detrimental to the textiles. Cabinetry is dated and does not meet contemporary standards of collections management retard the deteriora- tion of the collections due overcrowding, pollution, fumes from untreated wooden shelving, dust, and fading due to light. The new equipment will insure the safety of the collection and allow resear- chers greater access.
