Huichol & Tepehuano Yarn Paintings by Thomas John Erhardt

Artist: Various artists.
Supervised/imported by: Thomas John Erhardt - Chula Vista, California.
Yarn and wax on board. (122 x 122 cm)

The brilliant colors and exacting detail of these nine ceremonial yarn paintings adorn the walls of in the upper level of Terminal 2. Supervised by importer/artist Thomas John Erhardt, the pieces are traditional works of art reflecting the culture and history of three of the Americas' pre-Cortez indigenous cultures. The San Diego region's Latino community traces some of its roots to these cultures, as well. This work pays tribute to that legacy and offers all visitors a bright welcome to our region.

Huichol and Tepehuano Yarn Paintings
Text by Thomas John Erhardt

The Huichol and Tepehuana are indigenous tribes living in the secluded and mountainous Sierra Madre Occidental region of the states of Jalisco, Durango, and Nayarit in Mexico. Isolated by the high mountain ranges, they continue to worship the same pantheon of deities as those of their ancestors since the pre-conquest era. Consequently, they have their own unique mythological view of history, with deities closely associated with the forces nature, such as rain and sun.

Huichol and Tepehuano folklore is by no means static. Prolonged efforts by Franciscan missionaries have resulted in the introduction of some Catholic feast days and ritual elements into their religion. For the Huichol and Tepehuano people, collective belief finds expression in festivals and pilgrimages. Dependent for their survival on maize (corn), they hold numerous ceremonies to honor the various stages of its growth. The Huichol also make sacred pilgrimages to honor their deities.

Yarn Paintings

Many stories from Huichol and Tepehuano folklore are vibrantly portrayed in a unique art form - the yarn painting. Yarn paintings are created when softened wax is spread evenly over a wood board. Using a sharp instrument, the artist then scratches a design into the wax and lays down strands of colored acrylic yarn along those lines. Spaces are filled in as the strands are pressed firmly down into the wax using a fingernail or other tool, creating the incredible detailed images you see here. Over 60 different colors of yarn were used in these paintings and each one of them represents up to six weeks of continuous labor.

Many of the vivid designs and brilliant colors characteristic of these paintings were originally based on the visions produced by Peyote, an hallucinogenic cactus sacred to the Huichol and believed by them to offer a window to the divine. Common images depicted in these works include various gods, goddesses, magic animals, ceremonies, sacred objects and legends important to the Huichol and Tepehuano people. The Tepehuano do not use Peyote. They smoke a non-hallucinogenic plant called Macuchi during their sacred ceremonies and rituals. This magical smoke allows the shaman to hold commune with the Divine, chase away bad spirits, cure illness and perform blessings of all kinds.