Shaft-tomb figures from West Mexico and objects produced by indigenous artists in Africa, New Guinea, and other underdeveloped areas, sometimes described as “primitive art,” have influenced popular culture by appearing in the background or as props to lend atmosphere to television shows, movies, and advertisements. Apparently attracted by the appearance of a figure from Nayarit, Alfred Hitchcock gave it an important role in his classic film, North by Northwest.An advertising campaign in magazines during the early 1990s for Kahlúa liqueur, which is produced in Mexico, used tomb figures in the background.

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