Mexican

Roots

This lady was inspired by a visit to Mexico and the folkloric ballet, where ladies swirl incredibly full dresses. The painted scenes each represent a layer of Mexican life - their connection to their ancient heritage (top), to the land (middle) and to their present culture (bottom).

This is best explained by the story below...

Manualita is a  teacher. She lives in Oaxaca in Mexico. She loves to dance.

Manualita spends the mornings teaching a class of 50 grade 1 students and in the afternoon and evenings teaches a high school class. She earns about $12,000 per year working 9 hour days.

In her spare time she loves to dance to mariachi music. Although she doles out one sheet of toilet paper per student as they go to the toilet, she has ensured she has a CD player in her class. She is concerned that the western model of education which the Mexican system is now following - rigid workbooks and standards to meet - is stifling the natural vitality and soul of these children. So they dance.

Manualita knows who she is. Above the town a hill top was flattened over 7000 years ago for a complex system of pyramids and temples. Miztecs and Zapotecs lived here way before the Aztecs or Mayans. As she walks easily underneath the extremely low doorways she says “These are my people, this is where I come from.”

Every so often Manualita leaves the city and visits one of the outlying villages to remind her of where she has come from. Women in native dress weave through the markets carrying boxes on their heads or a chicken under their arm.

Manualita stops and buys a marinated grasshopper, a delicacy of the region, and sips a flavoured drink contained in a cellophane parcel with a straw sticking out.

Outside on the walls of the ancient palace are intricate geometrical symbols. These each represent the 27 states of consciousness according to the esoteric teachings of the Miztecs. In the market beside the ruins women sell rugs and shawls with these same symbols.

Manualita is concerned about the suppression of her people by the Catholic Church. When she was young she felt that she had an intimate connection to God. But the catholic nuns told her she couldn’t know God personally.

Manualita feels that God is alive in everything – the land, the people, the birds. If she really needs help she would go out onto a hill or a field and call to the  sky.

Manualita loves fiestas. Although they now fall on Saints days there is still a connection to celebrating the intrinsic nature of the land and the people.  

Besides, Manualita loves to dance….

for Manualita’s roots lie in her very being.

This piece has been on display at the Inveresk Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston as part of the ArtRage exhibition

(December 2002 to May 2003)

Artist at Work - producing Mexican Roots