Nua tzirinvui nadu. Tanto yaqueaya tzembuiy nahumbi nadumbui. Tzimatzú quiteni nuaharannaduxte nadeni nuanage nabuiy nantzú huato ya betó teranduxnapetzi nuaniñeehé namuntzí nameinatiquindas najatzi tzimapató napuingui nadeege tzibuitó nahiadi tientzi maña narahuey najatzi najoquinantzú dijadavetdi didumbui natzeénahmi nanhie andogina nestihi napehde nadeni nuarabuiy nubuitziudi tiumbi nuarantzu nubui istindeé ytzoni nadu aranbuiy.
Todo el mundo es una sepultura de la cual nada se escapa. Nada es tan perfecto que no desciende a su tumba. Los ríos, los amuletos y el agua desembocan, pero nunca regresan a su principio dichoso, con ansia se precipitan a los vastos reinos del dios lluvia. Así como ellos ensanchan sus orillas, ellos forman la triste urna de su entierro.
All the earth is a grave and nothing escapes it. Nothing is so perfect that it does not descend to its tomb. Rivers, rivulets, fountains and waters flow, but never return to their joyful beginnings; anxiously they hasten to the vast realms of the rain god. As they widen their banks, they fashion the sad urn of their burial.
Nezahualcoyōtl (1431-72)
En nuestra compañía había un soldado llamado Botello, que parecía ser un hombre muy decente, que sabía el Latín, y había estado en Roma. Pero tenía la fama de ser brujo. Unos decían que poseía un espíritu familiar, otros decían que era un astrólogo. Ahora, hace cuatro días, este Botello reclamó haber descubierto echando suertes o por la astrología, que si no abandonamos Méjico esta noche precisa, y retrasamos la partida, nadie se escaparía con vida. Dijo también, en otras ocasiones, que Cortés. sufriría muchas dificultades y perdería posición y honor. Pero también sería un gran Señor, acaudalado con riqueza v reputación.
In our company was a soldier called Botello, who seemed a very decent man and knew Latin and had been in Rome. He was reputed, however, to be a sorcerer. Some said that he had a familiar spirit, others called him an astrologer. Now, four days before, this Botello had claimed to have learnt, by casting lots or by astrology, that if we did not leave Mexico on that particular night but delayed our departure, not one of us would escape with his life. He had said also, on other occasions, that Conrtes was to suffer many hardships and lose both position and honor, but that he would afterwards become a great lord, rich in wealth and reputation.
Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España
The True History of the Conquest of Mexico (1576)
Materials:
Bexar limestone
recvcled glass sourced from river
transducers
amps
power cables
bi-directional speaker pair
tweeter
speaker wire
barbed wire
dirt
Sound (eight-channel):
River hydrophone recordings
breath edit
Tibicen texanus
Film (10A2 loop):
digital transfer of 16mm reel submerged and developed in River
Acrylic case:
River petrified wood
River pottery shards
River glass shards
River rusted nail
Nadia Botello (b. 1986) is a sound artist, composer, and engineer based in San Antonio, TX. Her work has been exhibited and performed at MATA Festival, Nameless Sound, Clocktower, Fairmount Water Works, Flux Factory, Icebox Project Space, the Rail Park, the Arthur Ross Gallery, and James Turrell’s Skyspace Gathered Leading, among other venues. She’s lectured and developed workshops at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Johns Hopkins University (MA), the University of Pennsylvania (MFA/PhD), and Columbia University (MFA). She has self-released two full-length albums — Saint Shë: Ska jag berätta en hemlighet? and Emerald Rd. Forthcoming is a comprehensive overview of more than a decade of unreleased materials, archived scores and sound design (film, dance, opera, new media), rare live performance recordings, and a monograph featuring essays and ephemera.
As a public-interest technologist, Botello initiated a successful shift in education policy — from STEM to STEAM — across stakeholders for the City of San Antonio through her advocacy and work as Co-Lead/Tri-Chair of the Alamo STEM Ecosystem. She has further served on the Advisory Board for the City of San Antonio’s Arts, Culture, and Heritage Committee; the Advisory Board for Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Smart City Challenge; as a mentor for the Women in STEM mentorship program for CAST Tech High School; and has consulted extensively for businesses and institutions on the intersection(s) of art, music, science, and technology. She is currently serving a two-year term on the Community Experience Committee for SAWS (San Antonio Water System). In addition to her studio practice, she works full-time in technology consulting as the Audio Lead for the Metaverse Continuum Business Group at a large international firm that specializes in digital products and innovation.