Heritage Square / Arroyo
public art
El Quetzalcoatl de Xochicalco & La Gente del Pueblo, 2003
Roberto L. Delgado, artist
Artist Robert Delgado's concept for the Heritage Square/Arroyo Station includes two major art elements. Working in concert with, and serving the neighborhood community, he mixes a new world flavor with Mesoamerican monumentality, as well as the intimacy of colonial tile treatment.
The most dramatic element is a four-foot tall relief that flanks either side of the platform. Extending approximately 230' on each side of the platform, Delgado mimics the Mesoamerican ball court by the major deity of the Toltec Empire, Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent, "representing learning, culture, fertility, holiness, and gentility." The carved stone relief is approximately six inches deep and comprised of joined segments that are distressed to give tile appearance of ancient ruins. The head of the feathered serpent is facing the center of the station.
For his other art element Delgado engages the visitor in a unique presentation of artwork by creating a "horizontal gallery" beneath their feet, reinforcing the concept of the round plaza circle. The pavers fill the spaces with ceramic, glaze painted rile in a faux Talavera style reminiscent of Spanish colonial tile.
For tile designs of the pavers, the artist interacted with the community. Photographs of the site area, of everyday life, of the local population taken by the artist, as well as images from historical archives and from the community are integrated into the works through silkscreen and airbrush stencils.
