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Artist and sculptor Jose Hernandez constructed his Aztec Marketplace of Aztec architectural elements, with King sitting on throne amidst foodstuffs native to MesoAmerica. Arts & Tech alumni Raul Audelo and dancer Jose Antonio Orozco led Santa Barbara-based Aztec musicians and dancers in procession, imparting a serious spirituality to the usually frivolous Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade. The previous year, in 1997, don Jose had seen Arts & Tech student Antonio Galaviz constructing a replica of the Pyramid of the Sun at Chichen-Itza, rising under construction from the parking lot around the block from don Jose's studio. Don Jose was inspired to create his own float, a whimsical fantasy of dinosaurs, butterflies, and plants. Antonio and other Arts & Tech students marched their Maya Pyramid and Musicians in procession, followed by don Luis' creation, marking the first significant Latino community participation in the annual Solstice event. The following year, 1998, Don Jose created his own pre-Columbian scene, the Aztec Marketplace depicted on these pages. Apprentices from the community and students from Arts and Tech assisted him. This
site documents the 1998 procession Aztec Marketplace. Don Jose's entry in 1999's Summer Solstice parade will be an Egyptian sphinx, parading through downtown Santa Barbara. |
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