Title:  “Xochiquetzal”

Artist:  Gloria Gonzalez Garcia, Yakima, WA

Xochiquetzal literally “flower quetzal”—quetzal is a bird native of the tropical rainforests of Mesoamerica, prized for its extraordinary feathers. Xochiquetzal is the Aztec goddess of love and flor y canto (flower and song)—the arts. As the goddess of art, she is the divinity of painters, embroiderers, weavers, metalsmiths, and sculptors. She is goddess of the earth and moon, so I dressed her in a hand-sewn silver Aztec tunic, “turquoise” necklace and feathers in her long onyx hair. Her cape depicts the art of women artists—Elizabeth Catlett, Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Emily Carr & Helen Hardin.