The Sun Serpent

Jose Cruz Gonzalez's play explains the trouble and turmoil that modern-day Mexico faced when Cortes arrived. Told through the narrative of a Totonac child, mixed with stories of Motecuhzoma and Cortes, this play uses an ensemble of four actors to embody 40+ characters. Christian was interested in simplifying the visual language of the play, using a single piece of fabric to create many of the settings, props, and characters. I supported this vision by crafting all of the costumes from the same material, using changes in silhouette to illustrate each actor's archetypal purpose: the scholar, the warrior, the mother, and the elder. I also crafted simple masks out of craft foam and hand-painted them to appear like gold and turquoise tile. These masks were used to create many of the unnamed Aztec and conquistador characters.