From the Earth
Martha Arquero
Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico

 Nativity figures in the Pueblo tradition do not have a personal message. They speak the language of clay and of the earth. This characteristic is made visible in this set through grey, black and brown tones. Martha Arquero accentuates closeness and familiarity with the earth by adding gifts of corn and fruit. The need to remember that we are from the earth is compensated with the sign of the butterfly on the baby’s cradle. The butterfly is a symbol of everlasting life.