Every morning when I wake up, it becomes almost impossible for me to stop thinking about how special it is that before this dawn, there was a sky covered by extensive darkness, like the first breath of a baby, giving way to life, and how my own life, guided by my masculinity from birth, would not have existed without the presence of a feminine essence that nurtured my existence. That is duality.
But when I speak of duality, more than anything its significant presence in many cultures and religions, especially in one as extensive and rich as that of the ancient Maya.
My life, like everyone’s, is governed by this culture according to the constant presence of two principles of great supremacy that react independently, but that never cease to have a protagonism with each other. In my studies and research to seek new sources of inspiration for the realization of new expressions of art, I have been able to realize how the quest to express harmony and balance in each of its cultural aspects is present.
Living as a result of duality is simply understanding that in life there will always be two opposing forces that struggle against each other, but it is also true that in this struggle, a harmony of expression can always be achieved, which can be admired.
The Descending God
The majesty of the sky against the solidity and firmness of the ground confront each other to welcome a divinity known popularly as the Descending God. Imagining a god descending from the sky to give divine presence to the peoples of the earth was very common.
This god not only represents an entity of strength that comes from the heavens, but also highlights that great differential line between the peoples that are on the earth, and that despite their differences, that relationship in duality will always be present.
He is represented with a figure with his head facing forward, his arms hanging at his sides, and legs flexed as if he were descending from the highest heavens. Its historical representation and its rustic traditional aesthetics make it much more striking for representing those important details of the culture.
Venus – The Evening Star
Just as the world can give me good news, for the Maya, Venus meant much more than an evening star that announced the morning for almost 90 days in their calendar. This celestial body showed a synonym for bad news, ominous signs, and the approach of new wars that would affect the constant living of this culture. Once again, the duality of beliefs and influences of an ancient generation is present even in the organization of future events of this past era.
Morning signifies new beginnings, but a sky adorned with this morning star marked the beginning of new reactions and actions that alarm an entire culture.
At the artistic and sculptural level, Venus is represented as the warrior God who in his hands rests arrows prepared for the attack, while on the ground beside him lies a mortal enemy, who succumbs in pain from a dart in his body.
What makes us think of it as a celestial element, of great brightness and presence, brings with it an antagonist so dark and cruel, that it expresses emotions extremely conflicting both visually and internally.
Feeling the power of the Sun and the Divinity of the Moon
Understanding that constant harmonic struggle that is appreciated in Maya culture and in its history is not something that should only be admired through textbooks or by visiting historical centers here in Tulum, I just have to admire from my window and see how the sunlight reacts to the bodies of the earth to create shade in an illuminated world.
This same relationship is found within me and is what I always seek to express in each of my works and sculptures, because just as I can feel complicated emotions seeking to emerge, I know very well that others can also witness them in their lives.
This is also reflected in the presence of the sun and the moon in a culture as vast and extensive as that of the Maya people, where the Sun, by expressing a constant beat of life and firmness, seeks to be in harmony with the delicacy and spiritual presence of the moon in the same sky.
Many stories say that both celestial bodies sought to fall in love and live together, but that very few times in certain periods of time have they managed to meet to create events that have marked the history of our humanity.
Personally, I think that this search is not only reflected in history, but also in my daily life, in my adult life, and even in my life of memories, because internally we are always in that process of meeting ourselves, to be able to express the best part of ourselves.
Whether with words, gestures, music, or in my case with sculptures and plastic art expressions, being able to transmit that harmony that is found in the conflict of history is vital for growth and is something that has inspired me exceptionally.
I will never be light and I will never be darkness, I will always be a living expression of both entities, which seeks with its hands to express conflicting emotions, I still do not know myself completely and I live to know myself every day, but no day will pass without thanking this great Mexican influence, its cultural cultivation, and its living torrent that still remains in progress for the present.