El Vals de Las Mariposas ©2008

This silkscreen print was produced in celebration of Sam Coronado Studios’ fifteenth year anniversary. In Latina/o cultures, the fifteenth year of a young woman is often celebrated with a family and community celebration called the quinceañera. This birthday is perceived as a coming of age, a child becoming a young woman. The dress, cake, and a waltz dance are components of this celebration. One popular waltz is titled, “El Vals de Las Mariposas.”

In this image, the Mexican loteria’s Sirena dances with a Virgen de Guadalupe butch chambelán on the loteria’s Luna. Flying around them are fifteen viceroy butterflies. I selected the Sirena as the quinceañera because of her uniqueness on the Loteria card game. She is the only image in the deck that is mythical. The Virgen de Guadalupe butch chambelán is line-drawn-only to appear like a spirit, a dream or a wish. Therefore, the Luna may be looking at both dancing figures or only at the rose-crowned Sirena. The Sirena and Guadalupe are both mythical apparitions. This print is part of my Lupe & Sirena series, which I started in 1999.

The Viceroy butterfly mimics the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch is famous for its migration pattern between the United States and Mexico. On the return to its parents’ point of origin, the next generation travels on genetic memory. For me, the Monarch is a symbol of Latina/o Mexican migration and immigration. The Viceroy looks just like the Monarch except for a line crossing horizontally on its secondary wings. For me, the Viceroy is a symbol of gender difference and queerness.