Dylan Clark and Ángel Xicohtencatl Espinosa's Sonic Installation Traces the Migrant History of the Capulín Tree
At Shangai Seminary in Chicago, artists Dylan Clark and Ángel Xicohtencatl Espinosa unveil "Pochtecayotl," a sound installation that delves into the migrant heritage of the capulín tree (Prunus serotina ssp. capuli). The installation includes an audio piece recorded in Santo Tomás de la Concordia, Tlaxcala, featuring natural sounds alongside a narrative about the capulín tree's planting. Research by Carmen Cristina Adriano-Morán and Emily McClung de Tapia has uncovered capulín charcoal in the Teotihuacán Valley, dating from 400 BCE to 1500 CE. McClung de Tapia also documented capulín consumption in Anales de Antropología. The term "capolín" is found in Alonso de Molina's 1571 Vocabulario, while Francisco Hernández noted its medicinal properties, and Wilson Popenoe recorded it in California in 1920.
Key facts
- Dylan Clark and Ángel Xicohtencatl Espinosa created 'Pochtecayotl' at Shangai Seminary in Chicago.
- The sound installation features a recording of an ejido in Santo Tomás de la Concordia, Tlaxcala, near the Atoyac River.
- The capulín tree (Prunus serotina ssp. capuli) has archaeological evidence in Teotihuacán Valley from 400 BCE–1500 CE.
- Emily McClung de Tapia published evidence of capulín consumption in Tlatelolco, Xaltocan, and Teotihuacán in Anales de Antropología.
- The Nahuatl word 'capolín' appears in Alonso de Molina's 1571 Vocabulario.
- Martín de la Cruz and Juan Badiano documented medicinal uses of capulín in Santiago de Tlatelolco.
- Bernardino de Sahagún recorded at least four cultivated varieties of capulín.
- Wilson Popenoe described capulín in his 1920 Manual of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits and attempted to cultivate it in California.
Entities
Artists
- Dylan Clark
- Ángel Xicohtencatl Espinosa
- Carmen Cristina Adriano-Morán
- Emily McClung de Tapia
- Alonso de Molina
- Martín de la Cruz
- Juan Badiano
- Bernardino de Sahagún
- Francisco Hernández
- Wilson Popenoe
Institutions
- Shangai Seminary
- Anales de Antropología
- Arquine
Locations
- Chicago
- Illinois
- Ventura
- California
- Nativitas
- Tlaxcala
- Mexico
- Lee
- Massachusetts
- Santo Tomás de la Concordia
- Atoyac River
- Teotihuacán Valley
- Tlatelolco
- Xaltocan
- Teotihuacán
- Santiago de Tlatelolco
- Acapulco
- Manila
- Philippines
Sources
- Arquine —