Appetizers were prepared by Graciela at Sazon Restaurant and were quickly devoured.
The inaugural lecture featured our own Jesús Victoriano López Vega. Jesus Lopez Vega is a self-taught artist, who was born in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. He was one of the inspired children whose artistic career began at an early age, when he started painting at the children’s art program at the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic, Mexico, which was established by the writer and benefactor Neill James.
Maestro Jesus Lopez Vega spoke of the retrospective muralist movement in Mexico, provided a bit of Mexican history, touched on his own experiences both in Mexico and the U.S.A. Throughout his knowledge based presentation he took questions from the audience and imbibed the evening with personal anecdotes.
Maestro Lopez Vega spoke in English explaining his mural “The Birth of Teo-Michicihualli”. The official inauguration of the mural was on July 25, 2008.
WHAT THE MURAL REPRESENTS
TEO-MICHICHIUALLI - TEO - deity, MICHIN - fish, CIHUALLI - princess |
This mythological mural represents the fertility of Lake Chapala as a young princess. Thousands of pre-columbian artifacts were thrown into the lake in her honor, to give thanks for abundant water, fish, birds, and to maintain the good climate and the rainy season. They say that she sends the winds from the four different directions NEWS - north, east, west and south, to keep the waters circulating and in harmony. Teo-michicihualli was furious, especially when the moon was full. She would punish the lakeside inhabitants by taking (absorbing) water from the lake through a water spout, creating a big dark long cloud, known by the local people as a “water snake”. This phenomenon would hit the mountains causing a huge thunder storm with lightening. In it's path, this water spout would destroy the nearby villages. The moon, the lake and the woman were a common TRILOGY because of their monthly cycles. Each month the moon becomes full. Women have their menstrual period. Sometimes local people still get scared at the month of May's full moon, just before the rainy season starts, afraid that a disaster could happen. The lake gets choppy, eventually creating big waves, throwing out from its waters organic waste, some dead animals or human remains, thus turning the water crystal clear. People created calendars of agriculture especially cycles of CORN crops from this TRILOGY. Their ceramics show cycles of corn cults, painted with oxide red paint and some engravings with symbols of water on ceremonial ceramics. The mural was inspired from the above information. There also are other minor deities represented, like "cihualli" the corn god who is a feminine figure shown with corn around her body. "Tlaloc" the rain god is throwing a water spout from his mouth and giving birth to his daughter "Teo-michicihualli". "Tlaltecutli" a feminine goddess represents the earth and the universe. The skulls and bones represent the underworld which is where the universe was created and settled down at the beginning of times. The rest of the mural is the immigration of the first people to settle Ajijic - the "COCA'S" tribe coming from Teo-pantitla, the pre-columbian ATL-XIK-XIK, AXIXIC, Ajijic, as well as the different villages like MATZA-MITLA. The first conquistadores came in 1523 to the south shore of Lake Chapala, then TZOYA-TLAN, TZAPOTLI-TLAN. Mescala, etc., the Scorpion Island known as the RAPABILLA-META. A sacred place of Lake Chapala from the WIXARIKA tribe, known locally as the HUICHOLES. October 12, 2009 - (day of the Spanish Invasion in 1523) |
In addition, Maestro Lopez Vega showed some of his canvas paintings and new works. Sales of his work were available throughout the evening.
We wish to thank all those people who were present and whose help made this event possible.
And don't forget to look for our next event posting coming soon!
Paz y Amor.
