Vulture drawing appears in Baja California

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The drawing of a vulture appeared inside a huge crater!

The Cierro Prieto volcano is located 30 km Southeast of Mexicali, in Baja California. Check out the vulture drawing below.

Members of the Amerindian Cucapá tribe live in that region; they settled near the US border. The most peculiar detail is that the vulture is considered a sacred animal to the tribe. That is, for them, it is the symbol of death but, at the same time, of purification.

In this sense, both the mythical volcano as well as the animal are part of the cosmogony and mythology of the Cucapá. In fact, these vestiges are called House of the Vulture. This reinforces the idea of the piece drawn with the same name.

The project is part of an initiative called “Cerro Prieto, 10 thousand years of sand and stone,” which seeks to give a more attractive appearance to the volcano. Consequently, it seeks to attract tourism through art and the multiple meanings that this place encloses, especially the crater.

Juan Hernández is a professor of Visual Arts at the high school level and is the author of this project. He was joined by a team of more than a hundred people to achieve this feat. The image went viral around the world, making people turn to look at the wonders of Mexicali.

On the other hand, Axel Núñez is another of the authors of the project and claims that the drawing is an invocation to the ancient cave paintings and coats of arms of the West. Thus, representing the cultural symbiosis. “Its tail points to the Colorado River (East), the head to the Sierra Cucapá (West), the South wing points to the main hill, and its North wing points to La Centinela Hill,” says Núñez.

Finally, the piece is open to the public and the most surprising thing is that it is 200 meters long with extended wings reaching 190 meters. Hence, the aerial view is quite a sight. Do you want to see it from above? Check it out here.

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)