For information on the Mayan Art shown on this page by Lorenzo Cruz Sunu, Mario Gonzalez, Marlon Puac, and Josè Reanda Quiejù please contact Pedro Arnoldo Cruz Sunu. Pedro's Contact Pedro's LinkedIn and
Pedro's FACEBOOK for sales or for more information about the Fair Trade and Artisan Profit Program to support continually creating and selling Tz'utujil Mayan Indigenous Art of Guatemala.
Pedro expresses "Maltiox". Mayan Tz'utujil language for Thank You, to everyone who has shown interest in the Mayans and their ancestry. "Thank you very much for understanding and making Mayan Tz'utujil Indigenous Art very spiritual - for our sacred works that come from the lives of our ancestors, the works reflect insipid to us all the culture that our ancestors have left us. I feel very proud."
The artist below Lorenzo Cruz Sunu's FACEBOOK page link ~ please visit and encourage him.
Video Salute to Mother Earth by Pedro Arnoldo Cruz Sunu
Video Saludo a las Madres de Pedro Arnoldo Cruz Sunu
Video Salute to Mother Earth by Pedro Arnoldo Cruz Sunu
Video Saludo a las Madres de Pedro Arnoldo Cruz Sunu
The women and men hold bundles of maize (corn), wildflowers and candles. They wear the colorful handloomed clothing of the region. Artist Lorenzo Cruz Sunu explains, "The colors of the corn symbolize the four cardinal directions to the Maya. White represents north, yellow is south, black is for west and red is east. The candles symbolize the four ethnic groups of Guatemala – the Maya, Garífunas, Xincas and Ladinos. For me, this painting is more than something pretty. It has a meaning, and this symbolism was my inspiration."
Artist Statement of Lorenzo Cruz Sunu
"I was born in a beautiful town on the shores of Lake Atitlán. I'm the second of eight children and our mother tongue is Tz'utujil. My father is a farmer and my mother is a homemaker – neither had an inclination for art. But from the time I was a child, I felt a great love for colors and designs."
"It was exciting to go to school, because I loved to draw and art was my favorite class. When I was 11, I told my father I wanted to learn to paint and asked for permission to take classes. But he laughed and didn't take me seriously. I felt so sad, but anyway, I kept on drawing and painting at home when I had a free moment. Today, I understand, because our economic situation was very difficult in those days and extra classes outside the school day weren't a priority for us."
"By the time I was, 15, several years had passed and I continued drawing and painting with the same dedication. My father decided to support me. With great effort, my parents sent me to Guatemala City to study in the School of Fine Arts. There I discovered my love, passion and vocation for painting. With every passing day, I learned new techniques and, to help my parents, I began to sell my paintings for a few quetzals. In the School of Fine Arts, I began to meet a number of people who helped me on this road of learning. I've also had the help of my older brother, Pedro Cruz Sunu, who helps promote my work and that of other artists in national and international galleries. And, of course, I have the support of my wife."
"I've been working as an artist since 2001, and have exhibited my paintings in places such as Canada, Minnesota, Washington D.C., Maryland and Delaware. I've learned a lot from each exhibit and this motivates me to achieve my dream of sharing the colors and characteristics of my people with the world.
"My paintings are related with everything I see around me, with what I've learned from my grandparents and their culture. In each work, I try to convey the folklore, the reality of our customs and the legacy of our ancestors. I hope that when you see and acquire my work, you can feel my love and respect for our culture and the people of my homeland."
