Flora & Fauna of Mexico/ Quetzal with Jaguar by Carmen Lomas Garza

An image that has captivated me is Flora & Fauna of Mexico. Garza created this image to reference her Aztec past through creating different images as an homage to Aztec culture on papel picado. In this cutout Garza uses a quetzal to represent Aztec warriors and nobility. Its feather is meant to show its beauty and extravagance, as nobles often did. The feathers were also meant to symbolize the armor of Aztec warriors. The jaguar represents itself as one of the most dangerous predators in Mesoamerica. The Aztec symbol is depicted as unsuspecting and vulnerable to show how the Aztec people were often in fear of their lives due to the sneaky jaguar. It can also be said that the jaguar represents the Spanish colonizers and the quetzal represents the vulnerable Aztec population. The cutout continues to reminds its audience of the rich history of Aztecs. It places one in the mindset of how their ancestors may have felt as targets. The sea of forest that is included in the cutout also helps to imagine the type of environment that Aztecs were in. The lush green rain forests can also create the perfect surroundings for a jaguar or predator to hide in and attack. The black and white cutout has so much flora that it easy to imagine the lush green colors that would be in the actual forest. Also, the details on the fauna can help the onlooker picture the different colors that would be present on the animals. It is quite a colorful image in one's own imagination.