end of story

Vukub Caquix and the Tree of Life

Completed talisman necklace and stand

 

Explanation of the pendants

Using an awl and a hammer, I laid my designs over the aluminum sheet and tapped each mark one by one so that the design was embossed on the other side. I then cut out the surrounding shape with a jewelry saw and drilled holes for the chain links. 

 

Top -- a representation of Vukub-Caquix himself. Him form resembles that of a macaw. His name, meaning "Seven times the color of fire," was given to him because of his brilliant, silvery eyes, which I placed on the top left and right of this pendant.

 

Middle -- the source of Vukub-Caquix's downfall. These two Mayan heiroglyphs represent the moon and sun, respectively. Vukub-Caquix believed he was so important and brilliant that his very existence made the sun and moon redundant. His arrogance is what ultimatley led to his death.

 

Bottom -- reads "Chalam," the mayan word for "jawbone." One day, when he goes to his nance tree to pick fruit to eat, his enemies shoot him with a blow pipe from afar. The wound to the jaw severely weakened him and led to his death. Although Vukub-Caquix is not human, it might be significant to remember that the muscles in the jaw are some of the strongest in the entire human body. A severe wound to the jaw might symbolize taking someone's strength and power from him or her. This story acts as a warning to anyone who isn't careful about letting excessive pride overcome them...

 

The stand -- represents both the nance tree from which Vukub Caquix picked his yellow fruit and also the Mayan tree of life, which contains representations of a constellation (Big dipper), a galaxy (Milky Way), the moon (eclipse), and an offering to the gods. The top of the tree of life is the depiction of the constellation, but it is also actually Vukub Caquix (Seven-Macaw) himself.

 

More Process...

First, I developed the designs for the wood panel and pendants. The design for the tree is in my previous post, done in illustrator using the pen tool. I used mayan images for reference but did not trace any existing forms - this design is my creation, inspired by the mayan forms. I wanted the pendants to narrate the symbols of the story, as explained above. I began by drawing some potential designs; I then scanned my drawings and live traced them in illustrator so that I could scale them up and down easily. Here are the illustrator images:

Using the scroll saw, I cut out the design of the tree of life. Sanding it by hand is what took more time, really... I then spray painted the form black:

 

The actual talisman/necklace required aluminum sheet metal, some 4/0 blades for the jewelry saw (so tiny!!), 36 inches of stainless steel chain, chain links, and a clasp/closure. For all these needs Metalliferous and Brooklyn Charm were most helpful. There are just countless necklace charms you never knew you needed there... it's dangerous. Needlenose pliers definitely make the list of essentials.

 

This project was a great way for me to explore jewelry-making. It was definitely one of those projects whose success was dependent on the amount of focus and concentration. So satisfying in the end!