This wonderfully spirited Eagle Warrior by Saul Montesinos of Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla transforms one of the most recognizable figures of ancient Mexico into a colorful Día de los Muertos calavera. The skeletal warrior wears an eagle headdress that opens around his face like a beak, with a spray of brightly colored feathers at the back. His exposed ribs, long thin legs, tiny sandals, and wide skeletal grin give him the slightly mischievous character that makes Montesinos’ figures so appealing.
Among the Mexica, eagle imagery was closely associated with elite warriors and with the sun. Eagle and jaguar warriors held important military and ritual roles, and surviving Mexica imagery connects the eagle with bravery, warfare, and the solar realm. The relationship is especially appropriate here because warriors who died in battle were believed to accompany the sun in the afterlife.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Montesinos brings that ancient symbolism into the Day of the Dead ceramic tradition of Izúcar de Matamoros, replacing solemnity with wit and exuberant color. The fierce eagle headdress, sun-covered shield, and smiling skeleton make this Mexican folk art figure both a tribute to the Mexica warrior tradition and a wonderfully playful reminder that even the most formidable warrior eventually joins the calaveras.
