This painting is my interpretation of the birth of Christ, according to the Book of Revelation, syncretized with imagery of Afro-Cuban folklore. The three angels I painted here are Los Tres Juanitos, the two indigenous Cuban brothers, Juan and Rodrigo De Hoyos, and the little Afro-Cuban slave boy, Juan Moreno, to whom the Virgin Mary (known as La Virgen de La Caridad del Cobre) appeared in Cuba around 1612.

In Santeria, the religion which arose from the mixture of Christianity and the Ifá religion of the African slaves; Caridad is syncretized with the Orisha Ochun. An Orisha is a Yoruba deity, a spiritual manifestation of Olodumare who is God. The mirror, peacock feather fan, stars, cowries, yellow dress and pregnant belly are all symbols which pertain to Ochun.

The text is scripture from the Book of Revelation. To see the whole painting, click here.