Thursday, January 19, 2012

History Behind Spanish Yarn Paintings

The homeland of the Huichol Indians are in the rugged mountains and remote villages of the Sierra de Nayarit (north of Guadalajara) They have many agricultural gods/ godesses. Deer is the most sacred of all animals, its blood a symbol of fertility. Corn is the source of all life, for it was Nacuhue mother of all gods who gave corn to the first man for planting. Lastly Peyote is a means of communication with the gods, and the consumption of peyote by the Huichol people is a deeply religious experience. The unity of these three elements ( deer, corn, and peyote) is the absolute core of Huichol beleifs. The Huichol's yarn paintings are not only beautiful pieces of art but also a symbol of their specific beliefs.

I've never seen a real yarn painting before, but from the pictures I saw from my research I noticed they all looked different. There wasn't one painting that looked the same. This tells me that the artists are very original and really take their time to make their piece the best it can be. Here in the United States many of our paintins are copies of the originals. I wonder if the way the Huichol consume their peyote is similar to the way indians eat buffalo. I heard they eat every part of the bull as a sign of respect. Maybe the Huichol do the same thing, or they might just cook it in a special way.

http://www.lafuente.com/Mexican-Art/Huichol-Yarn-Art/

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