Great video to watch to understand the references.
Image by Gloria Anzaldua of the cenote mentioned in her writing.
Gabriela Pool
For my project I envision welcoming all participates with the performance of indigenous womxn having conversations with Chaya plants in Yucatec Mayan. All these womxn will be dressed in all modern clothing and not in huipiles. One womxn will step out and direct all participants down this path while explaining these traditions. Thus, making the participants closely listen to trying to understand and engage in conversation. Further down the path I would to station other womxn making tortitas de Chaya, brazo de reina and agua de Chaya. This image will depict something that is still is a tradition in Yucatan. That is having all the womxn, mostly the elder, come together to cook for all. The last stop would be a cenote. I plan to place Chaya plants along the cenote. The womxn who directs the participants will now give direction in Spanish on how to approach the plant. Thus, making them aware that the plant is alive and when it feels danger will sting. If correctly asked for permission it will not sting, but they can choose to participate at their own risk. After, all will be directed to toss the leave into the pool and be asked to enter the cenote. Once complete they will all be directed back to the second stop to enjoy some food. In the end some might go home with a little stinging as a remembrance that our Mayan culture is still alive.
Check out the video below to understand the reference.
Vision - Why do you want to make this work?
Chaya, is used to make many of the traditional foods in Yucatán. However, what many people do not know is that Chaya also has little hairs that stings. The way indigenous people prevent it from stinging is by asking permission to the plant before cutting and cooking it. While reading and analyzing Gloria Anzaldúa’s writing and drawing on cenotes it got me think about a path of memory and remembrance. Aside from not respecting the ecology there is a discourse that talks about Mayans like if there were dead in a sense killing the language and traditions that are still in practiced today. Thus, I would like to have a path that brings remembrance and awakening.
Aims and objectives
Growing up, I was raised to be aware that cenotes were sacred site for the burial of many of our ancestors. That Chaya, like any other plants, are alive things and as much as we respect the land that we must respect all plants. Thus, the aim for this project is making others aware that when they eat the native food or swim in sacred bodies of water they are breaking all of our traditions that are still alive and in place. We are not in the past nor dead.
Size of the project:
I am envisioning my project to be in a cenote. There is one located by Valladolid called Samula. Valladolid, is a city in Yucatan that is filled with tourist and locals. My plan would set up three stops along the way. I would like for the stops to be a great distance from each other as it relates to Sacbeh, white pebbled trails, that our ancestors would walk to travel and still do now. Thus, it would be a couple miles
Materials Used:
1st Stop: Womxn having a conversation with Chaya – Chairs and Chaya Plants
2nd Stop: Womxn making food – Masa, Semilla de Calabaza, Chaya, Hojas de plátano, Huevos, Tomate, Queso, Agua, etc.
3rd Stop: Chaya Plants
What kind of help/assistance will you require?
I will need assistance from community stakeholders like those are in overview the cenote, want to participate in the project, or want to provide the food and the Chaya plants.
What will be the length of this project?
I would like it to be up for a week during the summer. Usually, during the summer there is a lot of people traveling to Yucatan and when the heat gets bad they tend to go to cenotes. Thus, there will be more people to convince to participate in the art project.
What kind of project will this be?
I think this art project will be a performance/community art. It will be a performance in the sense that the womxn at the first stop to be having conversations with the plants, but I will not direct the conversation and will leave it up to the imagination of the artist. It will be community art in the sense that I want womxn that are from the surrounding communities to be making the food and directing the participants at the second stop.
Where will this project be installed?
This project will be installed near Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico in Cenote Samula.
How will the project connect to the site (and its history) where it is installed?
Valladolid, is a city that was established by the Spaniards. However, the Mayans did not go down easily and revolted and held riots against the Spaniards in this location. Thus, I choose this place, because it a place of power and in which the Mayans now will take their power back.
How will this project enrich the lives of the people where it is located? A lot of indigenous people in Yucatan sometimes feel like spaces and monuments that are of our ancestors have become tourist attractions and are no longer theirs. My grandmother was one of those womxn did not feel welcomed. We recently took her to Chichen Itza and she told us that the last time she was there she was a child and she is now 80. She told us that there wasn’t so much open land or security around the pyramid. Thus, I want the people in the surrounding communities to regain the feeling that these places are theirs and are welcome to them. All seriousness aside I think they will also get a good laugh by all those people who are going to walk out of this project with a rash after they are sting by the Chaya plants.
Vision - Why do you want to make this work?
Chaya, is used to make many of the traditional foods in Yucatán. However, what many people do not know is that Chaya also has little hairs that stings. The way indigenous people prevent it from stinging is by asking permission to the plant before cutting and cooking it. While reading and analyzing Gloria Anzaldúa’s writing and drawing on cenotes it got me think about a path of memory and remembrance. Aside from not respecting the ecology there is a discourse that talks about Mayans like if there were dead in a sense killing the language and traditions that are still in practiced today. Thus, I would like to have a path that brings remembrance and awakening.
Aims and objectives
Growing up, I was raised to be aware that cenotes were sacred site for the burial of many of our ancestors. That Chaya, like any other plants, are alive things and as much as we respect the land that we must respect all plants. Thus, the aim for this project is making others aware that when they eat the native food or swim in sacred bodies of water they are breaking all of our traditions that are still alive and in place. We are not in the past nor dead.
Size of the project:
I am envisioning my project to be in a cenote. There is one located by Valladolid called Samula. Valladolid, is a city in Yucatan that is filled with tourist and locals. My plan would set up three stops along the way. I would like for the stops to be a great distance from each other as it relates to Sacbeh, white pebbled trails, that our ancestors would walk to travel and still do now. Thus, it would be a couple miles
Materials Used:
1st Stop: Womxn having a conversation with Chaya – Chairs and Chaya Plants
2nd Stop: Womxn making food – Masa, Semilla de Calabaza, Chaya, Hojas de plátano, Huevos, Tomate, Queso, Agua, etc.
3rd Stop: Chaya Plants
What kind of help/assistance will you require?
I will need assistance from community stakeholders like those are in overview the cenote, want to participate in the project, or want to provide the food and the Chaya plants.
What will be the length of this project?
I would like it to be up for a week during the summer. Usually, during the summer there is a lot of people traveling to Yucatan and when the heat gets bad they tend to go to cenotes. Thus, there will be more people to convince to participate in the art project.
What kind of project will this be?
I think this art project will be a performance/community art. It will be a performance in the sense that the womxn at the first stop to be having conversations with the plants, but I will not direct the conversation and will leave it up to the imagination of the artist. It will be community art in the sense that I want womxn that are from the surrounding communities to be making the food and directing the participants at the second stop.
Where will this project be installed?
This project will be installed near Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico in Cenote Samula.
How will the project connect to the site (and its history) where it is installed?
Valladolid, is a city that was established by the Spaniards. However, the Mayans did not go down easily and revolted and held riots against the Spaniards in this location. Thus, I choose this place, because it a place of power and in which the Mayans now will take their power back.
How will this project enrich the lives of the people where it is located? A lot of indigenous people in Yucatan sometimes feel like spaces and monuments that are of our ancestors have become tourist attractions and are no longer theirs. My grandmother was one of those womxn did not feel welcomed. We recently took her to Chichen Itza and she told us that the last time she was there she was a child and she is now 80. She told us that there wasn’t so much open land or security around the pyramid. Thus, I want the people in the surrounding communities to regain the feeling that these places are theirs and are welcome to them. All seriousness aside I think they will also get a good laugh by all those people who are going to walk out of this project with a rash after they are sting by the Chaya plants.
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