CASA TLACUACHE
bringing our land to life,
and life to our land through
art, ecology & leyendas
un proyecto de 
Ricardo Alberto Ramirez Garcia-Rojas  y
Marcelo Alejandro Ramirez Garcia-Rojas

Pronounced: “NAH-NAH-CAH-TL” (-TL Pronounced like -ttle in “little” or “rattle”)

Definition: Nanacatl = Fungus
Language: Nahuatl, native language spoken throughout Mexico, most notably by the Azetc / Mexica peoples
Featured on the Colorado Mycological Society Website - https://cmsweb.org/mycelium-sculpture-on-display-at-moa/

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This project highlights the inspiration that we want to create in the Casa Tlacuache. We want to inspire the community of the Rio Grande Valley to look back at the legends that inhabit this land. With the lessons held in these legends, we want to inspire the Rio Grande Valley community to show love not just to each other, but also to our environment, and especially our old neighbor, the Tlacuache.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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The Human species has a tendency to illustrate life with pyramids. Historically, the pyramid has been used in architecture to symbolize power, social status, spirituality, and knowledge. Presently, due to the common practice of ecologically unsustainable methods in art and manufacturing, it is our responsibility as a species to ally with the ancient, highly-intelligent, and powerful decomposers of our planet, Fungi.

Nanacatl (Fungus) is a sustainably created piece using plant cellulose bonded by fungal mycelium. The pyramid was constructed as a combination of modern building materials and future, mycelium-based, biocomposite technologies.

Nanacatl is a beacon, not only for the potential that naturally derived fungal materials have for sustainable construction, but also for the multilevel interconnectivity and symbiosis these organisms play in our human lives and existence as a species. This project aims to inspire future generations of builders and mycologists alike to employ the power of fungi in molding the trajectory of our Earth.