Silkscreen print on Fedrigoni black paper

paper size 45 x 71 cm

image size 39 x 64 cm

Encounters in Tlaloc’s Paradise 

scenes of fantastical encounters between supernatural divinities and other more-than-human elements in an aquatic environment, with the broadly interpreted theme of “Tlaloc’s Paradise.”  

Tlaloc is the god of rain in Nahua cosmovision who is associated with both the life-giving and destructive properties of water. In Nahua mythology, Tlaloc resides on a sacred mountain from which he wields power over thunder, lighting, and rain. He can take the shape of water in many forms. Syncretic interpretations and maintenance of Indigenous traditions have signified a continued importance of Tlaloc and other related water deities in contemporary Mexican cultures today.   

I consider water a living entity that, in addition to its primordial form in nature, is also capable of adopting diverse forms of manifestation. Some of these forms are anthropomorphic personifications and supernatural beings; such representations have found resonance in the thinking of indigenous cultures around the world that. Through close observation of the phenomena of nature, they have created a vast system of beliefs that give body to a fascinating cosmology captured in the form of myths and legends recorded in literature and in the oral tradition of the peoples. Within the broad framework of existing myths, I will focus on those of pre-Hispanic origin from the cultures of ancient Mexico. 

I want to highlight some ideas raised by Bridle and others in positioning humans not as the superior or dominant species aiming to control nature, but rather part of and subject to nature. This perspective of relationship and reconciliation – as opposed to control and dominance – is its own form of wisdom distinct from Western and modern scientific traditions. In this project, I explore how relationships among the supernatural and natural – humans and more-than-humans – are embodied in the myths passed down over generations.