Huehueteotl

Huehueteotl was was the god of fire and the oldest god in the Aztec pantheon. He was thought to reside at the center of the universe where he controlled the different planes of reality and time. He represented light and warmth and the struggle against darkness and death. Usually he is depicted as a toothless old man with a wrinkled face supporting a large brazier on his head decorated with rhomboid and cross-like figures symbolizing the four world directions.

Aztec priests kept a fire burning at all times to honor Huehueteotl and every 52 years performed a ritual of human sacrifice in honor of the god. During this ceremony, the sacrificial victim had their still-beating heart torn from their body and replaced with a piece of wood that was then set on fire. If the flames burned brightly there would be fire through the rest of the Aztec kingdom for the next 52 years (one cycle of the Aztec calendar).

“HUEHUETEOTL” is the first creation of the “Tri-Cycled Series” constructed using an antique tricycle rear deck, a vintage vacuum cleaner faceplate, rusty metal industrial pieces, vintage fabric and copper elements.