This is a huge hand beaded skull that measures 21" wide from horn to the the other horn, 24" from the tip of the horn to the tip of the nose, 17.5" from the top of the head to the tip of the nose and is 8" wide across the eyes.
Honorio Lopez is the grandson of Jacinto Lopez Ramirez, an older Huichol shaman considered to be the grandfather of the commercial bead art. Honorio lives in Agua Zarca, the family's ranch about 2 hours from San Andres Cohamiata, the ancient Ceremonial Center deep in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Western Mexico.
Bead art done by the Wixaritari (Huichol) can be dated back to the 1700s, where beads were introduced by a group of missionaries in an effort to convert them into Christianity. Their efforts proved futile and they were shortly expelled from the mountains but they decided to keep the beads. Thus they were slowly introduced into their religious offerings.
The technique has remained the same throughout the years. The Wixaritari layers a coat of wax onto the wooden piece or gourd, then after stacking layers onto a needle they begin to add them one by one starting from the inside of the design. After which the contours are filled, this labor is usually done by their kids in order for them to learn this art form.
