#aztecas
This painting is a devotional image of Xochiquetzal and Xochipilli, the Plumed Blossom and the Prince of Flowers. She is the Teotl of love and the feminine arts, he the Teotl of spring, hallucinogenic plants, the Sun in the morning, venereal disease, and the masculine arts. The whole is an illustration of the concept of duality; the two Teteo are one and the same time brother and sister, husband and wife, and the very same being. In the painting They therefore stand back to back, and yet are joined by a single spinal column, so that the two are revealed as being a single entity; male and female as one. They stand on the twined tree of Tamoanchan, which stands at the center of existence and represents the eternal revolution of the male and female principles of Tonantzin and Totatzin. From Their mouths emerge speech-scrolls marked with the glyph which signifies wisdom.
You can see this painting as a print in my Etsy store!
Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal as the Duality. Aztec Mexican | Etsy México
These are some details of my painting of Tlaltecuhtli, Earth Lady.
On either side of Tlaltecuhtli appear two Teteo, Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of Death, and Tlaloc, Our Lord the Rain.
The land of the dead is under the earth, and the lords of rain live in the hollow mountains. Both are accessed by caves which pierce the earth. The joints, such as elbows and knees, are thought of as openings by which one can enter the body and the solid bones. Therefore, her joints are painted with Tlaloc faces, or, sometimes, with skeletal faces. These represent the caves by which one enters the world of the Teteo of death and rain. They also represent her two poles, of life and death, and of the duality which she incarnates.
At the feet of Mictlantecuhtli are two quail. The white spots on the quail’s feathers symbolize stars, and the quail is a symbol of the night time sky. At the feet of Tlaloc is a rattlesnake. The curving, sinuous body of the snake is like the movement of lightning across the sky, and like the curving of rivers as they wind across the earth. Both animals live in caves in the ground, and therefore are bridges between the dark and mysterious world of the Teteo beneath the earth, and the world of humanity on the earth’s surface.
You can find prints of Tlaltecuhtli in my Etsy store!
Tlaltecuhtli Mother Earth Mexica Aztec Earth Goddess | Etsy México
Our ancestors saw humans not as completely feminine or masculine beings, but as a combination of both qualities.
Every person has a side that is spiritually wet, cold, fertile and dark, and another dry, hot, sterile and luminous side.One of the names of this painting, Cihuaoquichtli, means Man-Woman. This is why it is called Man-Woman Duality as well. It also shows the position of the days of the Sacred Calendar in the human body.
This painting, along with Life-Death Duality, will be on display at my show at Art Bug Gallery! The opening is on Saturday!
My show at Art Bug Gallery opens in a few days!
In this exhibit you will be able to see my original painting of Ometeotl, which metaphorically represents the Mesoamerican creator divinity. Ometeotl, Dual Lord and Lady, are everything that exists. They are creator and creation, painter and painting, mother/father and son/daughter. They are all which we understand as reality, placed in time and space.In this painting the main Teteo appear intertwined to represent that They are all but faces of Ometeotl, and to remind us that all life is connected through Their love and generosity.
Ometeotl. Aztec Mexican Spirituality Corazon Mexica Mexica | Etsy México
My show at Art Bug Gallery opens on Saturday!
The Triptych of Maguey, the sacred plant of Mesoamerica, will be on display at this show! It consists of the central painting, in which appears Mayahuel, Lady of Maguey, and two accompanying paintings of Pahtecatl, Lord of Pulque, and Ometochtli, Lord of Drunkenness.
Our ancestors considered alcoholic beverages to be a means of communication with the Teteo. Drunkenness is a state of divine connection, through which inspiration, devotion, love, violence and courage are shared with us.
You can find these paintings as prints in my Etsy store!
My painting Patlache or Owner of Wild Cacao is part of a series that explores queer identities in Mesoamerica.
Sources are scarce and contradictory, and little information can be obtained about sex and gender diversity in ancient times. However, there are few cases of what we would call today “queer” identities were registered in colonial manuscripts.
A patlache or owner of wild cacao is a word apparently used to describe a lesbian woman or a trans man. Here are two types of patlache sharing a moment of cacao collection.
You can find this painting as a print in my Etsy store! Click here!
This is my oil painting of Tonalco Tlaltecuhtli, the Earth during the dry season.
Tlaltecuhtli is the Earth Lord and the Earth Lady. She is the Earth itself; Her elbows, breasts, and belly are mountains, Her navel, the hollow of Her throat, the folds that wrap across Her stomach are valleys, and Her mouth and womb caves, entrances by which to enter her body. She is all abundance and all life, but likewise, She is the tomb who shall swallow us all in the end. We do not have four seasons in Mesoamerica, but rather two, Xopan or rainy season, and Tonalco or dry season. As Tonalco Tlaltecuhtli, Her body is painted yellow, to represent the yellow grass of Winter. She is dry, tired, and lacks the energy for growth and life.
I’ll be explaining more details about this painting in other posts!
Tlaltecuhtli will be on display at my upcoming show at Art Bug Gallery in LA! You can also find Her as a print in my Etsy store! Click here!
The yacametztli or Moon nose ring is an element of the regalia of the Pulque Lords. These deities are associated with darkness, humidity and the feminine side of the cosmos. The Moon incarnates the feminine principle, subtlety, fertility and cold, spiritual qualities found in pulque, which is seen as the milk with which the Earth feeds Her children. In the paintings of Pahtecatl, Lord of Medicine, and Ometochtli, Lord of Drunkenness, They both bear a yacametztli, symbolizing Their relation with the qualities of pulque.
The paintings of Pahtecatl and Ometochtli will be on display at my upcoming show at Art Bug Gallery. Click here to see prints of Them!
Cinteotl or Centeotl is the Lord of Maize, whose body is our food and our flesh. Centeotl is also the patron of cacao, the complementary opposite of maize. While one is a solar plant, associated with the Heavens, dryness and the masculine side of the cosmos, the other is a lunar plant, related to the Underworld, humidity and the feminine principle. This is why Centeotl is also the incarnation of duality and balance. Here I presented Him as Lord of the Plant of Cacao, which represented creativity, inspiration and sex.
This piece is part of a series that will be on display at Art Bug Gallery from April 23!
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This painting will be on display at my upcoming show at Art Bug Gallery!
It represents the duality of life and death, one of the main concepts of Mesoamerican thought. Our ancestors did not see life and death as two different things, but as two faces of one same truth: that which is alive nourishes death, just as death gives origin to new life, in a neverending cycle.
If you are in LA, do come visit my show! It opens on April 23rd!
This is a xiquipiltontli or bag used by the danzantes for transporting offerings and other elements used in Mexicayotl ceremonies, such as flowers and copal.
Depictions of these bags can be found in sources as ancient as Olmec sculptures. They also appear in codices from the time of the conquest and are part of the ritual regalia of many contemporary indigenous groups.
You can see various models of this xoquipiltontli or bag in my Etsy store! Click here!
This is your last chance to see my show!
This week I’ll be hosting special events at Art Bug Gallery!
LAST DAY OF MY PRIDE SALE
Click here to see my Etsy store! There is a special 20% discount ending today!
In this scene, Mayahuel, Our Lady Maguey, appears breastfeeding a plumed fish. It is a profoundly symbolic image which shows Her role as mother and nurturer. The plumed fish is a visual metaphor that alludes to Mimich, one of the most ancient divine ancestors of the Mexica. Lord Mimich was a chichimeca, part of a nomad group, and His death represents the foundation of the first villages and cities. The symbol of the plumed fish refers to preciousness, which can be found in the wisdom of our ancestors. The scene, thus, presents Mayahuel, the plant of maguey, as nurturer of humankind from the most ancient of times.
You can find prints of Chichimayahuel in my Etsy store! Click here!
Yesterday was Teachers Day in Mexico, a date to celebrate and thank the work of educators.
The Nahuatl word that refers to teachers is temachtiani, “who teaches someone”, while the word momachtiani, “who teaches themself”, is used to talk about students.
Another word associated with education is tlamatini, “who knows something”, or “who perceives something”
The Underworld is a place of cold and darkness, which the spirits of the dead travel in order to be reborn. However, it is also a place of fertility, where new life is created from dead beings. Most of the animals of the Land of the Fleshless are swimming or flying beings, which connect this place with the Earth and act as messengers between the dead and the living.
You can see different animals of the fertile Underworld in my painting The Death in Mictlan of Quetzalcoatl. Click here for prints in my Etsy store!
Chichihuacuauhco, Tree of Breasts, also called Tonacacuauhco, Tree of Flesh, is one of the places where human spirits dwell after death. To this tree go the children who pass away before they can eat maize, the divine fruit which gives matter and strength to our bodies. The flowers of Chichihuacuauhco are breasts, which eternally feed the spirits of these babies with milk, while they await the moment of their return to the Earth. Tonacacihuatl and Tonacatecuhtli, Lady and Lord of Our Flesh, are in charge of keeping this tree alive, nurturing the spirits that depend on it.
You can find prints of Tonacacuauhco in my Etsy store! Click here!
Today’s card is Nahui Topilli, the Four of Staffs, a card of celebration and retribution.
In it appears a scene of tlamacehualiztli, of offerings to the Teteo in gratitude for all Their gifts. A man and a woman, as well as a group of dancers, celebrate victory and success with songs and flowers.
This card reminds us that everything we own and achieve has been granted to us by the Teteo, and we must retribute Their love and generosity through ceremony, communitary actions and selfless everyday activities.
You can find the Tarot Yohualli Ehécatl in my Etsy store! Click here!
