Updated September 5, 2014
First Posted June 3, 2014
We are continuing our research on the owls of Mesoamerica.
Owls are pictured in military scenes at Teotihuacan and hence in areas of Guatemala which was impacted by the military strength of Teotihuacan.
Owls appear in many tales of Mayan folklore, especially in the Popol Vuh. And owls are pictured in murals, stelae, ceramics, and on other artifacts. Thus it is helpful to learn more about owls.
Courtesy of zoological parks we are able to get good photos of owls, so we can study their exterior features.
We are also training several Mayan-speaking interns on rendering the owls as characters. Here is a rendition by a 15-year old Cakchiquel Mayan speaking intern: done with a Wacom tablet (first time she ever used a pen tablet, so you can notice that Maria Josafina has potential). Our drawings are intended to be for children as well as adults: we are not attempting to do scientific illustrations (notice this owl is imbibing sugar Cola). We wish to use the owls to present future books about cultural values.
Here is a Spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)
Visit our page about Owls of Mesoamerica.
