Eternal Xoloitzcuintle: the sacred footprint
In the art of Sergio Peraza
Contemporary Mexican art finds one of its most unique and profound expressions in the work of sculptor Sergio Peraza, who has devoted a fundamental part of his career to the study and representation of the Xoloitzcuintle, the emblematic pre-Hispanic dog that has accompanied humankind in Mexico since ancient times.
For ancient Mesoamerican cultures, the Xolo was not just a pet, but a sacred being. Associated with the god Xolotl, the guide of souls on their journey to Mictlán, the underworld.
This symbolic relationship lives on in the Day of the Dead tradition.
Architect Luis Ortiz Macedo, a defender of Mexican cultural heritage, stated:
“Sergio Peraza's work elevates the Xoloitzcuintle from myth to contemporary art with a symbolic force that reminds us that we remain heirs to a living, vibrant past.”
"The Xoloitzcuintle is not just an animal, but a guardian of collective memory and a symbol of connection between worlds," says the artist, reminding us how tradition and contemporary art can interact and enrich the celebration of the Day of the Dead.
Sergio Peraza takes this ancestral heritage and brings it to contemporary art under the concept of "Xoloarte," a term he coined to describe a profoundly Mexican sculptural line that fuses the pre-Hispanic worldview with a modern and universal aesthetic.
The Xoloitzcuintle lives on in the Day of the Dead altars, in ancient legends, in the streets of our towns... and now, thanks to the work of Sergio Peraza, in the great international art galleries.
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