Antonio Alonso: Street Balloon Seller Ceramic Vase

Antonio Alonso: Street Balloon Seller Ceramic VaseAnother beloved figure of Mexican street life takes shape in this papier mch sculpture by Antonio Alonso: the globero, the wandering balloon seller whose tall bouquet of color can be spotted from blocks away in any plaza or park. Once again, the role goes to a tlacuache, this time outfitted in a red shirt, blue trousers, and a small black coin pouch slung across his hip, ready for an afternoon of business. The opossum holds his pole with both paws,

exuding quiet confidence

but the scarlet macaw brings out something special in him

This Huichol (Wixárika) yarn-decorated skull is a stunning piece of symbolic artistry where every pattern and color speaks of deep spiritual meaning

embossed with spirals and delicately perforated edges reminiscent of papel picado

symbolizing cosmic balance

half a world away

was considered by the Aztecs to be a sacred guide for souls traveling to Mictlán

For the Aztecs and Maya

and those wide-open wings are what make this piece — they give it an expansive

making the technical achievement and cultural symbolism more compelling

giving the piece a refined

from geometric designs to tiny