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Coatlicue: Myth, Identity and Place

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Coatlicue: Myth, Identity and Place COATLICUE: MYTH, IDENTITY AND PLACE By DIANA NORELY FERNANDEZ ORTIZ A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF FINE ARTS WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of Fine Arts MAY 2019 © Copyright by DIANA NORELY FERNANDEZ ORTIZ, 2019 All Rights Reserved © Copyright by DIANA NORELY FERNANDEZ ORTIZ, 2019 All Rights Reserved To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the thesis of DIANA NORELY FERNANDEZ ORTIZ find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. Joe Hedges, MFA, Chair Michael Holloman, MFA Kevin Haas, MFA ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to acknowledge those who have helped me with materials, mental roadblocks, those who have offered advice, constructive criticism and words of encouragement. Ramon Deanda, Squeak Meisel, Brett McElmurry, Joe Hedges, Kevin Haas, Michael Holloman and Chris Stanley. Thank you. iii COATLICUE: MYTH, IDENTITY AND PLACE Abstract by Diana Norely Fernandez Ortiz, M.F.A. Washington State University May 2019 Chair: Joe Hedges My work explores the complexities of identity, culture, indigeneity, and place utilizing Pre- Columbian Myth and my own personal mythmaking. My intentions in seeking the lost layers of culture in my ancestry come from a position of respect and admiration. Research on my family history and Coatlicue, an Aztec goddess, has moved my work towards the discussion of the mythic Chicano journey to paradise. Coatlicue is a shadow to the Virgin of Guadalupe, a symbol of Mexican identity and therefor represents the theme of resilience and survival in the best way possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................1 CHAPTER TWO: COATLICUE, A METAPHOR FOR DUALITY AND RESILIANCE .................................................................................2 Coatlicue and Erasure ....................................................................................................2 Mexican Catholicism and the Virgen of Guadalupe ......................................................3 CHAPTER THREE: THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY ......................................................5 Shaped by Place .............................................................................................................5 CHAPTER FOUR: FAMILY HISTORY ............................................................................7 Family history ................................................................................................................7 Romanticizing Place ......................................................................................................8 CHAPTER FIVE: THE ARTWORK ................................................................................10 Craft .............................................................................................................................10 Textile ..........................................................................................................................11 Ceramic Platters ...........................................................................................................12 Ceramic Figure Sculpture ............................................................................................13 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION ......................................................................................14 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................15 v LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1: Textile version of Coatlicue .......................................................................................16 Figure 1.2: Ceramic Figure Sculpture ............................................................................................17 Figure 1.3: Ceramic Wall Platters ..................................................................................................18 Figure 1.4: Installation View .........................................................................................................19 vi Dedication Thank you for teaching me that I can do anything I set my mind to. This is for my mentor Chris Stanley, my brother Francisco and most importantly, my mother Eleonora. vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION My work explores the complexities of identity, culture, indigeneity, and place utilizing Pre-Columbian Myth and my own personal mythmaking. Coatlicue, an Aztec deity, is important to my family, culture, and home in Texas. She represents history, resilience, and continuum. She is a key connection and a reoccurring figure in the discussion of the mythic Chicano journey to paradise, including the survival of indigenous beliefs and practices. It would be irresponsible to leave out an acknowledgement that my use of Aztec mythology is approached respectfully, acknowledging that my family is not Aztec but a mixture of Spanish and perhaps Apache ancestry. Part of my decision to use Aztec myth stems from the loss of culture that many Mexican Americans have endured and the power of influence that Aztec culture still has in contemporary Mexico today. Details of my ancestry are buried by the Spanish who invaded Mexico, buried by the Americans and Texas Rangers who cast out Mexican and Indigenous people after the territory lines shifted and jumped over people. My culture is buried by my family’s choice to move to the United States and by my schooling which encouraged me to speak English instead of Spanish. My confidence in my identity is buried by my peers who bullied me for not being Mexican enough and by those who bullied me for not being American enough. My intentions in seeking the lost layers of culture in my ancestry come from a position of experience, respect and admiration. 1 CHAPTER TWO: COATLICUE, A METAPHOR FOR DUALITY AND RESILIANCE In Aztec mythology, Coatlicue, is the mother of Aztec/Mexican God, Huitzilopochtli. The story is that Coatlicue, a widowed goddess with a skirt of serpents was sweeping the temple when a tuft of white feathers fell from the sky. She tucked them into her belt while she continued to work. When she got home, she reached for the feathers and found that they were gone, and that she was pregnant. When Coatlicue’s 400 children found out that their mother was pregnant without remarrying, they were disgusted (as her pregnancy brought shame to their family). Coatlicue was anguished because her daughter Coyolxauhqui, was planning on killing her. But Huitzilopochtli told his mother, from the womb, not to fear because he would protect her. On the day that Coyolxauhqui led an army to kill Coatlicue, Huitzilopochtli emerged from his mother in full armor and threw his sister off the mountain and chased his 400 siblings until they disappeared. Coatlicue is the earth, Coyolxauhqui is the moon and Huitziopochtli is the sun1. Coatlicue and Erasure: In the 1500’s the Spanish Conquest ordered the destruction of all indigenous Mexica statues and buildings. The Mexican people were ordered to destroy their own statues, but they buried them instead. Coatlicue was among the hidden survivors. This Basalt statue was discovered during an excavation in 1790 by the Spanish and quickly reburied by the Spanish because they feared its pagan power would reawaken indigenous religions, they had worked so hard to suppress. For many within my culture Coatlicue, Tonantzin an Aztec goddess of earth and motherhood, and the Catholic Virgen de Guadalupe are all synonymous. The Basalt sculpture of 1 Jesus Alvararez Constantino. El Pensamiento Mitico de los Aztecas. 42-43. 2 Coatlicue holds a lot of power, history and meaning. The statue is in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico. It is a carved completely in the round with carefully considered imagery. Coatlicue is seen as the shadow to Tonantzin. The back of the sculpture represents the clean positive aspects of the sacred mother in the form of Tonantzin (this is done with specific symbols) while the front of the sculpture represents the damned qualities of the mother as Coatlicue. In continued resistance to Spanish colonialism, many people refer to the Virgen de Guadalupe as Tonantzin. Instead, I’ve chosen to highlight and embrace indigenous Coatlicue and her darkness. Mexican Catholicism and the Virgen of Guadalupe: In Mexico and in Mexican Catholicism (worshiping the Virgin is a cultural characteristic of religion2, as well as an “Icon of Mexican consciousness3”. This is the only aspect of religion I acknowledge from my upbringing. Despite renouncing religion, the Virgencita is still an important symbol for me. The Virgin appears on tattoos, t-shirts, blankets, decals on vehicles, figurines of all sizes sold on the streets. In Mexicana Hermosa, performed by Natalia Lafourcade, the lyrics refer to a “Mexicana hermosa” as the “Bandera Latina.” Most people would assume that Lafourcade refers to the Virgen of Guadalupe. The Virgin of Gualdalupe represents the similarities to Tonantzin who helped many indigenous people survive the religious conquest of the Spanish. The
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