{"id":72150,"date":"2026-10-02T00:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=72150"},"modified":"2026-09-30T18:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:21:51","slug":"itzcoatl-3d-printed-serpent-head-soil-obsidian-02102026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/itzcoatl-3d-printed-serpent-head-soil-obsidian-02102026\/","title":{"rendered":"Itzc\u00f3atl, the 3D-Printed Serpent Head Made of Soil and Obsidian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Itzc\u00f3atl 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<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

What Is Itzc\u00f3atl<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

Although it bears the name of a ruler, the sculpture draws on another figure from Mexica tradition: the Xiuhc\u00f3atl, or fire serpent. Salazar-Caro took a 3D scan of a representation of the Xiuhc\u00f3atl and reinterpreted it digitally until it became an entirely new piece, one he himself places somewhere between archaeology and speculation.<\/p>\n

The head measures 1.70 meters long and 80 centimeters tall, and weighs 770 kilograms. For those unfamiliar with 3D printing with soil<\/a>, 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.<\/p>

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In this case, the mix combines dark soil, volcanic sand, charred material, and obsidian, resulting in a rough black surface reminiscent of cooling lava.<\/p>\n

A Volcanic Serpent in a Museum of Volcanic Stone<\/h2>\n

The choice of location was no accident. The Anahuacalli was designed by Diego Rivera, with the help of Juan O’Gorman, to house his collection of pre-Hispanic art. The building is inspired by a teocalli, a Mesoamerican pyramid temple, and is constructed of volcanic stone quarried on the very same site, originating from the eruption of the Xitle volcano. A serpent made of soil and volcanic sand thus finds a setting tailor-made for it: the piece engages in a dialogue with the very material of the museum.<\/p>\n

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Installation of Itzc\u00f3atl at the Anahuacalli Museum.<\/p><\/div>\n

Making the Piece<\/h2>\n

Salazar-Caro’s process begins long before the printer starts up. His starting point is a personal archive:<\/p>\n

“It all starts with a library of 3D scans that I’ve been collecting for several years now, mostly of ancient artifacts of Mexica or ‘pre-Hispanic’ origin.”<\/p>\n

From there, the workflow follows several stages:<\/p>\n