Another painting of queer love in ancient Mexico, celebrating pride month:
In classical Nahuatl, a “Xochihua,” or, “a possessor of flowers,” can be loosely understood to represent a queer man or trans woman. While concepts like “gay” do not translate across cultures, people whom we would understand to be queer did exist in the Aztec past. “Xochitl,” or “Flower,” symbolizes pleasure and femininity. The meaning of the term Xochihua suggests that those who “possess flowers” engage in activities traditionally understood to be feminine, from gay sex, to dressing in female garb, to living lives as what we would consider trans women. In numerous sources, it is said that families frequently recognised their children as Xochihuah, and raised them as such, permitting them to dress in feminine clothing, and learn the social roles of a third gender. While at least one text suggests harsh penalties for same sex behaviour, others say that Xochihuah people could play the role of caregiver, priest, shaman, concubine, and teacher, and that they held a role in society that accepted and honoured their place as people suspended between the male and female principles. Both attitudes can be true. Mesoamerican was an enormous place, whose cultures have lasted many millennia, and it is surely the case that some moments in Mesoamerican history and culture were repressive, and others accepting, just as is the case today in the West.
Here, two Xochihuah men, a Tlatoani, or king, and a Jaguar Knight, enjoy the love they feel for one another. The Tlatoani wears his turquoise diadem, which is the traditional crown of a ruler, while the warrior wears a jaguar helmet, whose nose is pierced with a turquoise nose-ring denoting bravery.
You can find El Tlatoani y el Guerrero as a print in my Etsy store! Follow the link in here
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