A Vital Matters Artwork: Untitled

Untitled

DESCRIPTION

Here, Jose Benítez Sánchez envisions the movement of the azure-hued Tamatsi Kauyumarie (Our Elder Brother Deer) through the three worlds that comprise the Wixárika cosmos: Watetüapa, the subterranean region from which the deities emerged; Heriepa, the mountainous area that mirrors the Sierra Madre Occidental range; and Taheimá, the domain of the sky. At one and the same time, Tamatsi Kauyumarie is the supernatural essence of hikuri (peyote), primordial mara’kame (shaman), and first among the kakauyari (ancestral figures) who assume animal, plant, and human dimensions. While most yarn painters utilize rectangular shapes in producing nierikate, Benítez Sánchez employs a spherical form that mirrors the circularity of the cosmos and the gourd bowls used in Wixárika rituals. His depictions of votive arrows or darts (irite) highlight sacred elements and communication with the divine.

48 PERSPECTIVES
10 PEOPLE

Ingrid

Arriaga

Anthropologist and Researcher

Cultural Institute of Mexico in France

Luciana

Benítez Rentería

Artist

Daughter of José Benítez Sánchez

Neuwy

Benítez Rentería

Legal Advisor

Son of José Benítez Sánchez

Fidencio

Benítez

Artist

Son of José Benítez Sánchez

Minerva

Carrillo de la Cruz

Director of Indigenous Affairs

City of Tepic, Nayarit

Ingrid

Arriaga

Anthropologist and Researcher

Cultural Institute of Mexico in France

Luciana

Benítez Rentería

Artist

Daughter of José Benítez Sánchez

Neuwy

Benítez Rentería

Legal Advisor

Son of José Benítez Sánchez

Fidencio

Benítez

Artist

Son of José Benítez Sánchez

Minerva

Carrillo de la Cruz

Director of Indigenous Affairs

City of Tepic, Nayarit

Ingrid

Arriaga

Anthropologist and Researcher

Cultural Institute of Mexico in France

Luciana

Benítez Rentería

Artist

Daughter of José Benítez Sánchez

Neuwy

Benítez Rentería

Legal Advisor

Son of José Benítez Sánchez

Fidencio

Benítez

Artist

Son of José Benítez Sánchez

Minerva

Carrillo de la Cruz

Director of Indigenous Affairs

City of Tepic, Nayarit

9 THEMES

Copyright © 2025 Fowler Museum.

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2025 Fowler Museum.

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2025 Fowler Museum.

All Rights Reserved.