A sculpture brings changes

Sunday, I went to a sculpture reception and fell in love with one of the stone pieces. I came home and walked around my apartment for some time trying to imagine this art in my home. My apartment is not big and I have hundreds of paintings either on the walls or in the stacks awaiting the opening exhibit of my home gallery Sunday, Oct 28. I finally decided with some rearranging, I could create a spot for this powerful sculpture. I called John Osmond and told him I wanted to buy Quetzalcoatl. Yesterday, John installed the sculpture. I think the spot will be right, but time will tell, if Questzacoatl  will fit better somewhere else.

This purchase led to an amazing adventure with a group of people visiting a town about 50 minutes  from San Miguel to see more of John's sculptures. I still am trying to get my mind around what I experienced and I will share it with you soon.


John Osmond is an Australian-born sculptor working and living in the historical mining town of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

Osmond, who has lived in Mexico for many years, is profoundly influenced by the Mayan culture and the tradition of stone carving still prominent in the culture today. He works with local and regional stone which he carves by hand, occasionally incorporating the use of semi-precious stones. His work is prolific and ranges from a replica of a Mayan pyramid, a Roman Para Nympho and architectural columns to statues, bronzes and other commissioned works located all over Mexico, Australia and the United States.

 Quetzalcoatl (kĕt'sälkôät`əl) [Nahuatl,=feathered serpent], ancient deity and legendary ruler of the Toltec
 in Mexico. The name is also that of a Toltec ruler, who is credited with the discovery of corn, the arts, science, and the calendar. It is unclear whether the ruler took his name from the god or as a great ruler was revered and later deified.
Quetzalcoatl, god of civilization, was identified with the planet Venus and with the wind; he represented the forces of good and light pitted against those of evil and darkness, which were championed by Tezcatlipoca
. According to one epic legend, Quetzalcoatl, deceived by Tezcatlipoca, was driven from Tula, the Toltec capital, and wandered for many years until he reached his homeland, the east coast of Mexico—where he was consumed by divine fire, his ashes turning into birds and his heart becoming the morning star. Another version has him sailing off to a mythical land, leaving behind the promise of his return. Adopting the name, the Aztec
 linked it with the worship of the war god Huitzilopotchtli and applied it to some of their ranking priests. Montezuma
 viewed the Spanish invaders as the returning hosts of Quetzalcoatl. There is a great pyramid in honor of the deity at Cholula
, and the sky-serpent motif in the mosaics at Mitla probably represents Quetzalcoatl. The famous Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacán
 is now regarded by some authorities as having been consecrated to a different god.
It is likely that the figure who gave rise to the legendary Quetzalcoatl was an ancestor of his Maya counterpart, Kulkulcán. The Toltec of Tula moved southward, settled in SW Campeche, and in the 10th cent. under the leadership of Kulkulcán, a historical figure, occupied Chichén Itzá
 and founded the cities of Uxmal and Mayapán. Although probably assimilated into the Maya
 culture by this time, the invaders still employed Mexican architectural motifs (especially the feathered serpent) extensively. After the death of Kulkulcán he became the patron deity of Chichén Itzá, and most of the temples were dedicated to him. The symbol for both Quetzalcoatl and Kulkulcán, the serpent with quetzal feathers, has an obvious connection with serpent worship.