I thought it was quite interesting how both mythologies share similar elements, such as the animals that –for different reasons perhaps– carry humans across the river, or the imagery of mountains and natural elements, like storms.
This is why I thought it would be interesting to explore the concepts of cultural juxtaposition through these stories, which is why I thought of creating a new Scottish-Mexican psychopomp, in the form of an alebrije.
Alebrijes are colorful creatures made with papier-mâché or copal wood. They are a combination of different animals and essential to Mexican folk art.
I thought about a new myth that combines Scottish and Mexican folklore, where horse/hummingbird alebrijes guide souls through the river towards the afterlife, which is maybe upstream, towards the mountains.
A short video about the history and making of alebrijes here:
Maxim Zaragoza 