Thinking About Photography

Comalli

The word “comalli” comes from the Aztec Nahuatl for griddle or comal. As the fourth generation of a family of Mexico City-based portrait photographers, my work seeks to find new meanings in portraiture.  I became interested in looking back to the time of the Spanish conquest in America (16th century), to see how Mexicas or Aztecs portrayed themselves during this critical period in our history.

This mixed media Series is inspired by the Mendocino Codex (housed at the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford), which references of the use of a comalli (griddle in náhuatl), a household tool that has been used for the same purposes in Mexican homes since that time.

Working with several used comals and portraits of contemporary Mexicans, I intent to represent contemporary women and men from my country and make the analogy that as the wrinkles on a person’s face bear witness to the passage of time, the stains on the comal are a sign of its years of use.

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The art works in this series begins by printing the portraits utilizing Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth paper and Epson archival pigment inks with protective spray. I then embed into the prints physical elements that have been used in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times, together with objects from Mexican daily life which are hand-constructed, such as tissue paper, sackcloth, cardboard, plastic fabric, hammered brass, luffa vegetable sponge, metal fiber, jerga cloth, amate paper, agave thread, corn husks and feathers. Materials are attached with archival glue and tape.

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“The Nahuas ate lightly.  The Mendocino Codex tells us how their children were fed: at three years, half a tortilla a day; at four and five, a full tortilla; between six and twelve, one and a half tortillas.  From the age of thirteen, two tortillas.”
                                                                           --Salvador Novo
                                                                           Cocina Mexicana: Historia gastronómica de la Ciudad de México

Corn is a fundamental part of our identity as Mexicans, and so, therefore, are the comal and tortillas.
Five hundred years ago, when the conquistador Hernán Cortés reached Tenochtitlán (today part of Mexico City), he was dazzled by the great market at Tlatelolco.  He described it to the Spanish King Carlos V: “They sell maize, or Indian corn, in the grain and in the form of bread, preferred in the grain for its flavor to that of the other islands and terra-firma.”

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In Pre-Hispanic times, the clay griddle or comal (comalli in Náhuatl) was formed by baking a flat disk of clay, then placing it on three or four stones as a support and to light a fire below. You still see this type of comal today.

In Mexico, the comal is used so frequently that some stoves are made with the comal incorporated into it. Many, however, prefer to have theirs separate, whether made out metal, clay, enamelware or stone. I remember that at my grandmother’s house in Mexico City, they would bring the corn to the mill to make the masa, which was then used to pat out the tortillas by hand and then toast them in the comal over the stove.  When my grandmother was a child, she often used a wood stove for this process.

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Most Mexicans prepare tortillas at home every day, and the comal where they are cooked becomes a witness to the family’s history.  Usually this basic implement is used for years before throwing it out, so it’s not unusual to find one that has accompanied various generations.  The more the comal is used, the better the tortillas taste.
Some people even say that the comal has its own soul*.   As the wrinkles on a person’s face bear witness to the passage of time, the stains on the comal are a sign of its years of use.  And the fire that cooks the tortillas, together with the stains burned on to the comal, might well be likened to the marks that tragedy can leave on our faces.

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Lou's work was originally featured in the Collage Showcase - use this link to see the rest of that showcase