Size: 80x150cm, 2.6 by 5ft
Weaver: Mayra Mendoza Mendez
Materials and methods: criollo sheep wool hand dyed with 7 shades of beæ bia' (Cochineal, Dactylopius Coccus Costa). Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed.
Design, patterns and symbols.
This pattern derives from the diamond shape of the rattlesnake skin. This particular set of a myriad of diamonds represents the snake skirt of the earth goddess Coatlicue. She is known as Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue, the mother earth, the mother of Gods, the mother of the moon and the 400 (many) stars in the milky way.
Coatlicue was married to Mixcoatl (storm god) they had many sons that were known as Centzon Huixnahuac, the southern stars. The myth says that her husband cheated on her so she killed him. Then as punishment, the elder Gods took away her beauty and youth; she then spent time repenting by sweeping the Teocalli (Sacred temple) and when she begged for pardon there was a miracle in the form of a humming bird coming from the sky. The humming bird dropped a bundle of jade colored feathers for her, Cihuacoatl (Coatlicue) stored it in her breasts and moments later realised that she was pregnant. The earth Godess was in union with the sky world again with the hummingbird; she went on to tell her sons and daughters about this miracle but they didn't believe her and were affraid that their divine mother would be publicly ashamed. One of her son's warned her that her daugther Coyolxauhqui (Moon Godess) was leading her sons to kill her; it was then that her son Hutizilipochtli spoke to her from the womb that he will protect her. When her daughter and her 400 brothers came to kill Coatlicue, her son Huitzilipochtli was born as a grown up warrior dressed in armour and war regalia. Huitzilopochtli had a snake thunder weapon in his left hand, he represents the Sun God and the God of the flowered wars, he stroke and killed his 400 brothers forgiving those who implored forgiveness, at last he killed the Moon Goddess and after dying they all returned to the sky where they are still to this day. This myth alludes to the theory of a comet hitting the earth to create the moon and the the 400 brothers ending up as shooting stars.
This pattern has special significande for me right now, since the passing of my mother, she has return to the realm of Dao (Inmensity, the great spirit, the one with many faces and many names) she is the mother that has returned to the skyworld from her burial site on earth. From there, I feel that she protects us, that she guides us and that from time to time she comes to our dreams, and speaks to us when we let our spirit travel to those places where the Nawal (the unconscious mind) can travel to and when we can remember those interactions. What happens to our awarenss after death is the subject of many studies, philosophies and even scientific experiments, whatever happens what matters is what we choose to experience right here, and right now. We could live a life time ignoring that realm or we can try from time to time, to connect our our ancestors and beloved ones that have passed away, it is on our hands, literally to weave the liner passing of time into a circle that weaves itselfe into creation.
