"Why Not You?" (June 14, 2018 – June 16, 2018)
Side wall of the old Sunny's Market – Live Oak, CA
*Designed & Supervised by: Roberto Valdés Sánchez
*Painted by: Roberto Valdés Sánchez, family, & friends
Why Not You? is a 14' x 10' mural on the side of the old Sunny's Market in the heart of the Historic District in Downtown Live Oak, California. It was painted within a 48-hour period, alongside four other murals, as part of a Mural Marathon Competition (June 14-16, 2018).
Multiple layers of meaning can be found throughout the mural. It embraces various aspects of culture and history – with an overall theme of "self-confidence". This theme is captured with the festive scene of a young, determined boy preparing to break a large, intimidating piñata looming overhead. Though the odds are very much against him, the confident boy remains unfazed as he stares intensely at his hovering foe; ready to give it all he's got. In many ways, this small child represents all of us – Always seeking to push our own boundaries and accomplishing what others thought impossible of us.
A deeper analysis of the mural will reveal a greater battle of cosmic proportions about to take place in the spiritual realm. Embedded into this seemingly innocent scene are several indigenous motifs symbolizing the principal characters found in the Mexica (Aztec) Creation Story.
In this ancient folktale, two of the four creator gods (represented as a "snake" and a "smoking mirror" motif) turn themselves into giant serpents and join forces (on the piñata bat) in order to destroy a massive sea monster ("crocodile" motif on the piñata) terrorizing the celestial waters of the universe (wave pattern on the piñata). The earth's surface is then formed from the creature's rugged back – represented by the Mexica Four Directions on the piñata cones: North (black), South (blue), East (red), and West (white). Look closely and you can spot the other two creator gods (represented as a "hummingbird" and a "flower" motif) looking on in disapproval. (*A detailed description of the Mexica Creation Story can be found below.)
The town of Live Oak, California, is also represented in several ways. The young boy in the mural is a native Live Oak resident. On his t-shirt is an image of the iconic "Jolly Rooster" – a large statue that once stood on top of Jones' Ice Burgie, serving as a local landmark welcoming all travelers passing through town on Highway 99. The piñata in the mural also hangs from a large oak tree (in which the town is named after) and the historical Live Oak Train Depot can be seen in the far background.
Why Not You? embodies the complex and layered history we all have that makes us each unique and capable of the impossible. It is a reminder that there are always multiple storylines happening all around us at the same time – those that can be seen and those that are felt. This young child is growing up in the rich culture of Live Oak and – with deep, indigenous roots within him – is developing his confidence to be who he is uniquely meant to be in this world.
Multiple layers of meaning can be found throughout the mural. It embraces various aspects of culture and history – with an overall theme of "self-confidence". This theme is captured with the festive scene of a young, determined boy preparing to break a large, intimidating piñata looming overhead. Though the odds are very much against him, the confident boy remains unfazed as he stares intensely at his hovering foe; ready to give it all he's got. In many ways, this small child represents all of us – Always seeking to push our own boundaries and accomplishing what others thought impossible of us.
A deeper analysis of the mural will reveal a greater battle of cosmic proportions about to take place in the spiritual realm. Embedded into this seemingly innocent scene are several indigenous motifs symbolizing the principal characters found in the Mexica (Aztec) Creation Story.
In this ancient folktale, two of the four creator gods (represented as a "snake" and a "smoking mirror" motif) turn themselves into giant serpents and join forces (on the piñata bat) in order to destroy a massive sea monster ("crocodile" motif on the piñata) terrorizing the celestial waters of the universe (wave pattern on the piñata). The earth's surface is then formed from the creature's rugged back – represented by the Mexica Four Directions on the piñata cones: North (black), South (blue), East (red), and West (white). Look closely and you can spot the other two creator gods (represented as a "hummingbird" and a "flower" motif) looking on in disapproval. (*A detailed description of the Mexica Creation Story can be found below.)
The town of Live Oak, California, is also represented in several ways. The young boy in the mural is a native Live Oak resident. On his t-shirt is an image of the iconic "Jolly Rooster" – a large statue that once stood on top of Jones' Ice Burgie, serving as a local landmark welcoming all travelers passing through town on Highway 99. The piñata in the mural also hangs from a large oak tree (in which the town is named after) and the historical Live Oak Train Depot can be seen in the far background.
Why Not You? embodies the complex and layered history we all have that makes us each unique and capable of the impossible. It is a reminder that there are always multiple storylines happening all around us at the same time – those that can be seen and those that are felt. This young child is growing up in the rich culture of Live Oak and – with deep, indigenous roots within him – is developing his confidence to be who he is uniquely meant to be in this world.
The Mexica (Aztec) Creation Story
In the beginning, there was only a void.
In this darkness, the dual god, Ometéotl ("God of Duality") – a combination of Ometecuhtli ("Lord of Duality") and Omecíhuatl ("Lady of Duality") – formed itself. This first supreme god was light and dark; night and day; good and bad; chaos and order; masculine and feminine. Being both male and female, it gave birth to four sons: Huitzilopochtli ("Hummingbird of the South"), Quetzalcóatl ("Plumed Serpent"), Tezcatlipoca ("Smoking Mirror"), and Xipe Tótec ("Flayed One").
Inheriting the art of creation from their parents, these four new gods began to create. They created water; they created other gods; and they created Cipactli ("caiman"). Cipactli was a massive creature – a primeval sea monster that was part crocodile, part fish, and part toad – with indefinite gender. Every joint of its body had a snapping mouth full of sharp teeth. Always hungry, Cipactli became uncontrollable and relentlessly consumed everything that fell into the celestial waters of the universe.
As the gods continued to create, they encountered a big problem – their creations would fall into the water below and be eaten by the dreadful Cipactli. Realizing that the universe could not prosper with such a fiendish creature roaming the cosmos, Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca decided to join forces and destroy it.
Tezcatlipoca approached the water and, using his foot as bait, lured Cipactli out of the water; losing his foot in the process when Cipactli ate it. The two gods then turned themselves into great, slithering serpents and seized Cipactli, pulling in opposite directions, and tearing the monster into two great pieces. The upper part of its body was hurled upwards to create the sky and stars. Its lower body and tail was left floating in the water to become the land of the earth.
The other gods were upset at what had transpired and came down to console what remained of the suffering earth monster – who remained alive despite being torn apart. They decreed that all things necessary to sustain life on earth, and needed for the survival of human beings, would come from its mutilated body. Its back would become the contours of the land and all nourishment and sustenance would come from it.
All thirteen heavens stretch into its head; the earth lies in its midsection; and the nine levels of the underworld (Mictlán) go down the length of its tail. The four gods then created the four regions of the world in the middle of Cipactli’s great monster body: North (black), South (blue), East (red), and West (white).
Like the many creation myths claiming that the world rests on the back of a massive animal, this Mexica story has us riding on the back of an ancient crocodilian sea monster – floating in the cosmic ocean of the universe.
In this darkness, the dual god, Ometéotl ("God of Duality") – a combination of Ometecuhtli ("Lord of Duality") and Omecíhuatl ("Lady of Duality") – formed itself. This first supreme god was light and dark; night and day; good and bad; chaos and order; masculine and feminine. Being both male and female, it gave birth to four sons: Huitzilopochtli ("Hummingbird of the South"), Quetzalcóatl ("Plumed Serpent"), Tezcatlipoca ("Smoking Mirror"), and Xipe Tótec ("Flayed One").
Inheriting the art of creation from their parents, these four new gods began to create. They created water; they created other gods; and they created Cipactli ("caiman"). Cipactli was a massive creature – a primeval sea monster that was part crocodile, part fish, and part toad – with indefinite gender. Every joint of its body had a snapping mouth full of sharp teeth. Always hungry, Cipactli became uncontrollable and relentlessly consumed everything that fell into the celestial waters of the universe.
As the gods continued to create, they encountered a big problem – their creations would fall into the water below and be eaten by the dreadful Cipactli. Realizing that the universe could not prosper with such a fiendish creature roaming the cosmos, Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca decided to join forces and destroy it.
Tezcatlipoca approached the water and, using his foot as bait, lured Cipactli out of the water; losing his foot in the process when Cipactli ate it. The two gods then turned themselves into great, slithering serpents and seized Cipactli, pulling in opposite directions, and tearing the monster into two great pieces. The upper part of its body was hurled upwards to create the sky and stars. Its lower body and tail was left floating in the water to become the land of the earth.
The other gods were upset at what had transpired and came down to console what remained of the suffering earth monster – who remained alive despite being torn apart. They decreed that all things necessary to sustain life on earth, and needed for the survival of human beings, would come from its mutilated body. Its back would become the contours of the land and all nourishment and sustenance would come from it.
All thirteen heavens stretch into its head; the earth lies in its midsection; and the nine levels of the underworld (Mictlán) go down the length of its tail. The four gods then created the four regions of the world in the middle of Cipactli’s great monster body: North (black), South (blue), East (red), and West (white).
Like the many creation myths claiming that the world rests on the back of a massive animal, this Mexica story has us riding on the back of an ancient crocodilian sea monster – floating in the cosmic ocean of the universe.