Aspect No. 12 - El Jaguar.

Throughout Pre-Hispanic cultures the jaguar is honored, worshipped, and held sacred.

Jaguars symbolize a powerful and enigmatic force, associated with the realms of the unconscious, the spirit world. The Maya thought that at night the sun, as it slips into the underworld would transform into a jaguar, the Celestial grounded.

“When a dignitary was transformed into a jaguar, he acquired strength, agility, aggressivness, sharpe vision and astutness. With these attributes, he protected and cured his people, or took revenge on his enemies.”

El Jaguar is manifested by the following future relics -

• El Saco del Jaguar - A black and gold staple embellished cropped jacket with the jaguar’s spotted motif built into the embellishment.

• El Cinturón del Jaguar - A black and gold staple embellished wrap belt with jaguar’s spotted motif built into the embellishment, and two gold rivet “eyes” emulating the look of a jaguar pelt being worn.

• Los Pantalones Anchos- a wide leg draped high waisted trouser in cotton shirting with a built-in wrap belt featuring a fringe trim.

Aspect No. 13 - El Eterno.

Within the world of A El Mismo, El Eterno is meant to be an extension to Aspect No. 1, El Pensamiento.

While El Pensamiento is the visual interpretation of Seyn Zare, the point of Origin , the dark space of Thought; El Eterno in turn represents the eternal cycle of creation and destruction. The connection of the material and the spiritual.

El Eterno. is manifested by the following future relics -

• El Tilmàtli del Eterno - A silver and copper staple embellished jacket with a subtle skeletal motif built into the embellishment.

• El Chaleco Plateado - An elongated silver staple embellished vest.

• El Cinturón de Cobre - A copper staple embellished zippered belt with fringe detailing.

• Los Pantalones Anchos- a wide leg draped high waisted trouser in cotton shirting with a built-in wrap belt featuring a fringe trim.

Aspect No. 14 - El Tumi.

This Aspect, El Tumi is representative of the ancient Tumbagas that existed prior to Los Plateaus y Los Cobreados.

There is much more to be learned as more ancient Tumbagas are uncovered.

El Tumi. is manifested by the following future relics -

• El Saco Verde - A green staple embellished oversized wool coat with a built-in carrying strap.

• Camiseta Verde - A double layered jersey tank top with an exaggerated crotch drape.

• V - Shorts en Verde - A green staple embellished pair of wool shorts with elongated pockets.

• El Bolso Verde - A green staple embellished wool T-bottom bag with a glass bugle bead fringe detail.

Aspect No. 15 - El Cobre.

El Cobre is a representative manifestation for cobre (copper).

Referencing a reoccuring source of inspiratio nfor this body of work, the Pre-Hispanic alloy 'tumbaga, which is composed mostly of copper + gold. (Some pieces found with small amounts of silver.)

El Cobre. is manifested by the following future relics -

• El Abrigo Cobreado - An oversized rust wool coat embellished with copper staples creating a texture blocked geometric motif.

• El Saco Cobreado - An elongated linen jacket fully embellished in copper staples.

• Camiseta de Cobre - A doubler layered jersey tank top with an exaggerated crotch drape.

• Pantalones Anchos de Lana- A elongated wool trouser with copper staple embellisments.

• El Bolso de Cobre - A wool clutch embellished with copper sheets + sewn copper tubes.

Aspect No. 16 - El Yerbero.

In the narrative for A Él Mismo, El Yerbero is the original source. Where El Pensamiento is the manifested pointed of Origin, pulled from the Kaggaba’s creation story (also known as the Kogi/Kogui, today’s descendants of the Tairona.) it implies that before the material world came into existance, everything was created in Seyn Zare, the pkace where Thought and Memory live.

But that thought, El Pensamiento had to come from someone/where.

In a way, El Yerbero is a direct representation of myself, as I am the source for the narrative of A Él Mismo.

El Yerbero. is manifested by the following future relics -

• El Abrigo de Maria - Juana - An oversized sage wool coat embellished with silver stapled teeth, mint foil detailing at the shoulder and cuffs.

• El Chaleqo de Ummo - An elongated faded sage organza vest.

• Pantalones Anchos de Lana- A elongated wool trousers with a built in wrap belt.

Aspect No. 17 - El del Sol.

Gold was valued not as coinage, but as a luminous source of power. A symbol of eternity, as it never corroded or oxidized.

The conduit for the energy of the Sun.

El del Sol. is manifested by the following future relics -

• El Saco del Sol - A soft tailored jacket with stiffened shoulders, featuring a radiance burst in a laser cut gold reflective film.

• Los Pantalones Anchos - A wide leg draped high waisted trousers in honey viscose.

Aspect No. 18 - El de Esmeraldas.

Back in 2020 when I had the privilege to experience Oaxaca before the pandemic, I visited el Museo de las Culturals de Oaxaca, & was lucky enough to see La Mascara de Calakmul, The Mask of Calakmul, a jade Mayan funerary mask. It's 1 of the 10 masks discovered in 1984, next to the remains of Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk, the last warrior king of the Mayans.

Dating back 1,200 years ago, the mask is made up of 57 tiles of jade, 2 obsidian, & a seashell. For the Mayans, jade was a symbol of birth, vitality, fertility, & had religious & spiritual importance.

Experiencing this piece planted an idea to create a stone worked wearable object.

Fast forward to 2022, I started A Él Mismo & returned & explored that concept again, but it wouldn't be until a year later, in 2023 when I would begin embarking on the creation of a stone piece.

Returning to the concept inspired by Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk's mask, I chose to use emeralds as my main stone, connecting the work back to Colombia, my heritage, & making a reference to the ancestral Colombian myth of Fura & Tena.

With that background information, here is the Aspect, El de Esmeraldas.

The focal point, a 360 degree hand sewn emerald t-shirt. It features a subtle gradation of stone size & hues, creating an organic landscape wrapping the torso. The center of the shirt incorporates jade beads, a call back to the mask, transforming this piece into an object that bridges & honors 2 countries & cultures that inform my person & work. Colombia for my heritage, & Mexico where I came back to a part of myself I had misplaced.

The earrings are another call back to the funerary mask, a contemporary take on the Mayan flare plugs, embellished with emeralds. The emerald nose is just fun.

El de Esmeraldas is manifested by the following future relics -

• La Camisa de Esmeraldas - A linen t-shirt

• Pantalones Anchos de Lana - A elongated wool trousers with a built in wrap belt.

Aspect No. 19 - El Sol.

Shown is the Aspect El Sol, a personification of the Sun.

Inspired by a collection of references from various sources merged with references to the beliefs & values that I found relation & connection to as I continue to research & learn more about the Muisca, their perspectives on materiality & craft. For them gold was valued not as coinage, but as a luminous source of power. A symbol of eternity, as it never corroded or oxidized.

The conduit for the energy of the Sun.

The Sun held immense significance in many Pre-Hispanic cultures, often viewed as a deity, a celestial force sustaining life, influencing respective beliefs, rituals, & societal structures.

For the Muisca in particular, Sue, the god of the Sun, his counter part being Chía, the moon. Sué was worshiped in the Temple of the Sun in Sugamuxi, now known as Sogamoso, the City of the Sun.

For this piece I approached the centralized radiant burst motif that "emits" from my chest tattoo again, but this time, stepped away from the reflective film from "El del Sol's" jacket, & instead with this piece, focused more on a return to handwork.

The rays are composed of brass tubes that have been hand cut & individually sewn in the emitting lines. The brass tubes are set into a plush chocolate wool, & the sleeves feature a vent with large brass button.

The accompanying Nariguera is a gold paper laser cut sample with an "inlay" of reflective film to reference the brilliance of light & a call back to "El del Sol."

El Sol is manifested by the following artifacts:

• El Saco Soleado - A wool tailored jacket with a vented sleeve, featuring a radiance burst in brass tube embellishment.

• Pantalones Anchos de Lana -A elongated wool trousers with a built in wran halt in a honev chiffon