Size: 140x200cm; 2.6x6.6ft
Weaver: Javier González Bautista
Materials and methods: criollo sheep wool spun at the family owned mill of Tianguistengo. Hand dyed with aniline dyes in an exhaust method for color fastness. Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed and wool rayon blend for warp.
Design, patterns and symbols.
This rug is inspired in the ancient understanding of the tree of life common to many cultures around the world. The ancient believe system of the Mexica people teaches that the universe was split in two parts to create the current world, the goddess Cipactli was pulled by the brothers Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca to make the earth and the sky and in order to keep them from collapsing again they planted four ceiba trees in each corner of the world with a central tree in the middle.
For the Mayans, this tree is called Ya'ax'che which is a ceiba tree that has nine levels in the branches of the sky, four levels in the existential plane of the earth (as in the four directions) and nine levels in the underworld.
In our Zaa culture we have also have a Ceiba species of tree from which our spirit is tethered to in the sky before we are born (placenta), under a ceiba tree we would be buried to start our journey back to the spirit world after our mortal dream. My grandfather used to say that on the earth we should walk the path of the warrior, always doing our best to uplift our spirit and transform the earthly matter into beautiful art. The only true time to rest is when we are resting under the shade of the Yaag Chei (ceiba tree).
The tree of life was represented in Ancient times with a cosmic bird sitting on top of it and a snake or crocodile in its roots at the base of the trunk. This duality represents the original two aspects of creation, the sky energy and the earthly one. In his book the Cosmic Tree, Frank Desmedt describes the 'Astronical' explanation of this duality. The Mayans made precise observations of how the galaxy appeared in the Sky; to the south it points to the Serpent constellation and to the north to the Canis Major which in our cultures has the shape of a Macaw bird.
Our grandparents always observed the night sky. I remember, my grandmother always making predictions about the rain pattern by looking at the position of the stars and the tilt of the milky way. In fact, the word for Milky way in Dixzaa language is the same word for corn plant, this is because the growth of our corn plants is intimately joined with the astronomical phenomena in the sky (such as te tilting of the milky way) as a way to understand and predict climate patterns.
So in this light, we cannot ever just talk about the earth alone, we must remember that the tree of life has its branches in the heavens and roots in the underworld. When you see the Serpent descending on the steps of the Chichen Itza sacred site, it is announcing the beginning of the rainy season, just like the snake like lightning storms that prelude the big rains. The rains permeate the earth and sprout the seeds of life and this water will travel to the depth of underground rivers and water tables only to evaporate again and complete the water cycle. Every aspect of the ancient world was cyclical and had a reason to be; from the heavens, the surface world and the underworld. Tha cosmic patterns such as the precession of the Equinox wil have an effect our our earth's climate and determine rain patterns, such as famine and abundance, floods, good harvests or droughts; this in turn will create social situations that will affect our health and spiritual well being. So our fate it is linked to the sky and we can pray and influence for this energy exchange to be positive and nurturing, as oposed to the climate chaos and intensification that we are carrying our with our unstopable growth fueled by fossil fuels, industrial relovution and digital global systems of communication. It lays on our hands, the responsiblity to help maintain the delicate balance that sustains life and makes our spirit thrive and blosom on this planet, we have the power to weave a new dream for humanity and to redirect the direction towards regenerative systems that build resilience and true connection to the earth and the cosmos.
