Cloth (tzute) 1895

This Maya tzute features linear bands of intricate woven patterns on a plain background. The bands of repeated motifs echo the concept of infinity, a theme we see echoed throughout history. Consider the Ouroboros, the ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail. The Ouroboros captures this idea of cyclical existence and the eternal return, reflecting nature's rhythms and the unending circle of life, death, and rebirth. In Norse mythology, the serpent Jörmungandr encircles the world, holding it together. Here, on this tzute, we see the echoes of these ancient symbols—the bands are not snakes, but they evoke the same endless quality. The cloth becomes a symbolic representation of time itself. These linear patterns transcend their material form, speaking to our shared human experience of time, memory, and the eternal dance of existence.