Itzcóatl, the 3D-Printed Serpent Head Made of Soil and Obsidian

Itzcóatl was the fourth ruler of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, and his name means “obsidian serpent” in Nahuatl. Today, it is also the name of a sculpture 3D printed with soil by Mexican artist Alfredo Salazar-Caro, co-founder of the Digital Museum of Digital Art (DiMoDA). The piece, which was unveiled at the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City, is the first fragment of a monumental serpent whose body is still to come. We spoke with the artist to learn how it was made.

What Is Itzcóatl?

Although it bears the name of a ruler, the sculpture draws on another figure from Mexica tradition: the Xiuhcóatl, or fire serpent. Salazar-Caro took a 3D scan of a representation of the Xiuhcóatl and reinterpreted it digitally until it became an entirely new piece, one he himself places somewhere between archaeology and speculation.

The head measures 1.70 meters long and 80 centimeters tall, and weighs 770 kilograms. For those unfamiliar with 3D printing with soil, the technique works by depositing a wet paste made of soil and other natural materials layer by layer, which gradually dries and hardens to form the object. The technology is used primarily in architecture to build walls and homes.