San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Chiapas, México
Two Visions of Ritual and Political Life in Two Highland Maya Towns.Two artists represent spiritual and dreamlike life through symbolic languages—both ancestral Maya and universal. Welcome to the exhibition “Destiny and Luck”, featuring recent works by Manuel Guzmán and Raymundo López.
Raymundo (Ray) López (San Andrés Larráinzar, 1989) is a rising talent in graphic arts, a Tsotsil speaker, and a member of the San Andrés community. He graduated from the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas (UNICACH) in 2017. His work plays with intercultural meanings within the postmodern Maya experience. His current series is a game about games—taking inspiration from games of chance and high strategy such as poker, chess, dice, and the Mexican lotería—recasting men and women from San Andrés as master players and protagonists in their own stories.
Manuel (Nelo) Guzmán (Chaná, Tenejapa, 1964) is a passionate painter with a long career in painting and drawing. He began his artistic practice in 1987, focusing on painting the traditional stories of his town. He later worked with the state government on a project to promote traditional medicinal plants.
He also took courses at CELALI and with master Antún Kojtom, though he is mostly self-taught. In 1992, Manuel was working on the metro line near Bellas Artes in Mexico City when he was hit by a combi (shared minibus) on his way to work and spent nine months in the hospital. This misfortune changed both his life and his destiny—shifting his artistic practice. Guzmán returned to his hometown and family, relearned painting, and developed a deeply heartfelt and spiritual vision. His work began to express the supernatural, ritual, and dream worlds through painting and drawing.
Fortunately, both artists were awarded Honorable Mentions in the Chiapas Indigenous Art Competition, and these works are part of this exhibition.
We present their work as a dialogue, addressing universal and local themes from individual perspectives—conflict, collective labor, prayer and divination, the union of heaven and earth, and references to popular tradition such as the figure of the j’ik’al (religious authority), among others.
We value how their contrasting styles generate particular effects: Guzmán’s naïve approach leans toward mystical semi-abstraction, while López’s Maya surrealist illusionism invites reflection on tradition and the role of the Indigenous artist—projecting his vision with both seriousness and humor.
Welcome to two visions of destiny and luck in contemporary life.
Artworks
Painting the animals in the cave in my dream | Manuel Guzmán
Oil on paper
K'in tajimoltik | Raymundo López
Acrylic on canvas
The elders in colors from my dream | Manuel Guzmán
Oil on paper
“I saw figures of abstract beings in colors. I saw a pig and a bird. Maybe the elder wants to eat pork.”
The Traditional Card | Raymundo López
Acrylic on canvas
“The artwork represents a playing card from the Spanish deck. The woman carries a copal incense burner (ch’ikob pom) and is dressed in San Andrés traditional clothing. Through this research, I realized that the chalice cup in the hand of the Spanish woman is the ch’ikob pom. If the chalice cup represents the heart of Jesus, then the white smoke of the incense is like a protector or a white god that purifies. That is, if there is any negative energy during each festivity, traditional or religious ritual.”
The Compadre J'ik'al and His Son Dario | Manuel Guzmán
Acrylic on paper
Manuel recounts: There was a woman who was taken by the J’ik’al. The woman asked, “How are you going to support me?” The J’ik’al said, “I will support you,” and he brought her dried meat (cecina), fried pork skins (chicharrón), and all kinds of meat. The J’ik’al would give her daily children, and the woman gave birth every day. But the woman began to miss her home and wanted to return. There came a time when the J’ik’al went away. It was the children who helped her leave the house of Compadre J’ik’al. (Note: When the J’ik’al arrived at the houses, he always referred to the man of the house as “Compadre.”) She escaped. Later, the Compadre J’ik’al came looking for her, asking where his wife was. He went out to search for her at her house.
The Words at Random | Raymundo López
Acrylic on canvas
Zapatistas against the government | Manuel Guzmán
Oil on paper
“I painted it because the Zapatistas killed the government soldiers. Some ran away because they didn’t want to die. The Zapatistas are in favor of the poor indigenous people.”
J'ik'al (Little Black Boy) | Raymundo López
Acrylic on canvas
“The painting I present is of a woman and her little dark-skinned children. The woman was taken by the J’ik’al (a figure from Maya tradition). Each day she gave birth to a child, but the children demanded so much milk that the woman became very thin. She was eventually rescued, but three days later she passed away.”
“She is shown lying on top of a card from the Mexican lottery. According to legend, if a woman goes out alone to wash nixtamal, the J’ik’al can appear and take her to his cave.”
Carnaval | Manuel Guzmán
Oil on paper
“It is a representation of the Carnival celebration in Tenejapa, which takes place in a place known as Pocolum (the Old Town), where people from many places gather. There, people dance, and some are dressed as bulls, and they also dance. There is a woman—actually, a man dressed as a woman. The person dressed as a little bull carries a wildcat skin on their back. The dancing lasts for two days: Sunday and Thursday.”
The San Andrés Accords | Raymundo López
Acrylic on canvas
“It was in the main town of my community where the San Andrés Accords were signed—an agreement between the Mexican government and the E.Z.L.N. to bring an end to the war. These accords were later ignored, but they remain valid for the movement.
I cannot represent my community without addressing the long struggles to defend our people and our land.
Many things happened to me while painting this piece; painful memories from the past and present came rushing in. I painted the crouching child—how I felt at that moment—being mistreated by another laborer, as a symbol of those sent by the government. For example, I was mistreated by teachers for being a Zapatista, and also by my non-Zapatista classmates.
In this sense, I see my work not just as a painting, but as a life process that accompanies me and allows me to keep speaking about what hurts and what brings me joy.”
Electric Pole Carriers in My Hamlet in 1987 | Manuel Guzmán
Oil on canvas
“Manuel recounts: I myself carried the electric pole. There was no road back then, only footpaths—it was to install poles alongside the houses. That way, transformers could be placed. It was a community initiative to bring electricity. Manuel explains that they negotiated this with the Commission and signed a contract. People carried the poles all the way from Pokolum (Old Village, where some crosses are located).
It was a peaceful agreement, and we pay for the electricity. (In other hamlets, they don’t pay, arguing that electricity is a human right.)”
The Puppets | Raymundo López
Acrylic on canvas
“According to the beliefs of San Andrés Larráinzar, musicians (just like anyone who holds a traditional cargo)… Everything they have learned about music has been given to them by God. That gift—that they are able to play those instruments—comes from God’s hand, and they are guided by Him. The puppets represent the people of San Andrés Larráinzar.”
Pray for my wife | Manuel Guzmán
Oil on canvas
“In my prayer, I was asking to be given my ch’ul (sacred) wife. I asked God from the Sky, and He gave her to me. (Another interpretation:)
He is a sinner, a drunk, beats his wife, and that is why he is praying. It is at sunset when he spoke to the Angel Gabriel with his copal. The Angel Gabriel answered, ‘Do not worry. Your prayer is good, and the Lord, your God, hears it.'”
The social division | Raymundo López
Oil on canvas
“This work represents the social division of San Andrés Larráinzar, using the metaphor of chess. Previously, it was a more united town, but politics can divide a community.
This began with the armed uprising of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), and now it is divided into two: the PRI side, supported by the government, and the autonomous side (EZLN).
Like chess pieces, I show the characters of this town: its authorities, musicians, alféreces, captains, ritual advisors, and artisans.”
