Itztlacoliuhqui; The Aztec God of Winter, Weaving A Legend – Chana Freidl the Maker

or
This Dude Has the Longest Name, Why Did I Decide To Weave It?

East Kingdom Wiki: https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/index.php?title=Chana_Freidl_the_Maker

Blog – https://chanafreidlthemaker.wordpress.com

As a maker, I am always looking for new and interesting projects to work on.  My Baronial A&S Championship provided this opportunity in 2019 when I competed with a woven band based on an Aztec legend.  The theme was “Myths and Legends,” and I chose to weave a storyboard of the creation myth of the Aztec god of winter.  Having studied archaeology and anthropology throughout my school career, and having participated in an archaeological dig in rural Peru, I have always been interested in the culture and history of the Americas, and I was happy to see I had the opportunity to bring that knowledge into the SCA.

For full documentation and more photos see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rs_uDJh3ntL7PZ0tFAFlqLAr4lPsOOSw/view?usp=sharing

In this entry, I describe the various complications I encountered with my weaving, both in technique as well as research.  I had several grand ideas that didn’t play out as expected, and had to adjust my plan numerous times in order to meet my deadline for the competition.  During the judging for my piece, I received a couple suggestions on how I could improve or change it, to which I replied, “That would be an interesting thing to do, when I can find the time.”

Then a pandemic hit, and as I was sitting at home for four months, not able to go to my job as a preschool teacher, I decided it was about time for me to act on those comments on my Aztec band and rework it again.  What you will see in these images is the result – a more period accurate technique and cleaner workmanship were only the beginning.  I was happy to be able to take the constructive criticism of my work given at the competition and turn it into productivity.  While there are still plenty of things I would have done differently, I am pleased with the quality of work I produced.

23 thoughts on “Itztlacoliuhqui; The Aztec God of Winter, Weaving A Legend – Chana Freidl the Maker

  1. Thank you Arabella! I’m not the best at solid research papers, so I find a conversational writing style a more comfortable way to get my information across. Good luck in the competition! Your work is amazing, as always!

  2. This makes me so happy in so many levels. On 15 May 2021, there will be “Huapuhua: New World Symposium” hosted by Barony of Marinus of Atlantia. Please email me if you want more information or better yet would like to teach a class. There is also a New World FB group.

  3. Very nice. I believe I saw the first version. It’s great to see you revisit a project and implement advice and feedback.

    1. Thank you! I showed this piece in progress at St. Eligius, so that’s probably where you saw it.

  4. This is extremely cool to see; and I love seeing your talent grow. Thank you for sharing it with us.

  5. Oh my goodness, thank you! I hardly feel like I’m skilled or knowledgeable to teach a class, but I would love to see a bit more about the event!

  6. I really love that this entry is a piece you’ve improved as a result of previous feedback. Wonderful to see the growth in your art & your understanding of technique. Very enjoyable documentation style.

  7. This is a really nice presentation. It was interesting following your journey in the creation of your entry. Thank you entering.

  8. I love that this project is a revisit to a previous project based on feedback. I enjoyed reading your materials. Well done.

  9. There is so much in this project that I love! I love that you used a New World culture for inspiration, that you tried a new weaving technique, and that you made a second version based on feedback. I can’t wait to see what you do next!!

  10. Your work is amazing! It was very interesting to read about your process and how you made changes based on feedback you received. I think weaving is magic and your piece embodies that magic. Thank you!

  11. Wow, so impressive! I love this — both the really complicated and well-executed band/remake, and the extremely thorough documentation. It’s so cool to see a project from a place that not many SCAdians portray…I’ve always enjoyed learning about the Maya and Aztec. I’d love to learn more about Maya Blue if you end up experimenting with that later!

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