home wall art

Hieroglyphs color the blackened visage of a sleeping man, suggesting midnight's darkness. Oscar Rodolfo Mendoza works in ceramic to create a replica of the funeral masks used by the ancient Maya. Modern artisans utilize the same materials and techniques as in pre-Hispanic times to create this poignant portrait.

These adorable dolls are here to bring some love into your home. Elias Garcia arranges them in two interlocking heart-shaped wreaths covered with colorful handloomed fabric and finished with a wooden plaque reading "Connected Heart to Heart." Each doll is handmade by Elias' sister, Aura, and she dresses each one in a unique handwoven dress.

Quitapenas or "worry dolls" represent Ixmucane, a princess who was gifted with infinite wisdom. Children are instructed to confide all of their worries to their quitapenas and then place them underneath their pillow at night. The dolls will impart their wisdom to them while they sleep and in the morning they'll wake up knowing what to do.

Wearing an ornate headdress with quetzal plumes, a Maya priest speaks, his words represented by speech glyphs. An oceotl or jaguar crowns the man, also speaking. The fierce spotted cat was thought to have sacred powers and, in the language of the Chol Maya, the name balam means both "jaguar" and "priest." The feline was believed to be the cause of both the lunar and solar eclipse, which resulted when the jaguar bit into the moon or the sun.

Artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association work in yellow clay from Oaxaca, colored with mineral tints.

Fierce and focused is the gaze of the Jaguar Warrior depicted in this ceramic mask handcrafted by the Angel Ceron Artisan Association of Mexico. Inspired by the images of these warriors from the 14th and 15th centuries found in Texcoco, the mask is a warrior's face beneath the sharp teeth of a jaguar. Above the jaguar head is an ornate headdress topped with a smaller open-mouthed jaguar and warrior face. The mask's details are hand painted in a myriad of earthy colors. A small loop at the top of the mask allows for it to easily be hung on a wall.

Shaped like a totem, a figure from the xiupohualli, or Mayan calendar, is crafted by hand from ceramic. Presented by the Angel Ceron Artisan Association of Mexico, this mask is inspired by pre-Hispanic designs, adding a touch of culture to any home. A suede cord allows this mask to be hung on any wall.