Xolotl, The Soul Companion

• Photographer
  Sophie Gamand, United States

My work explores humanity through the canine world. Xolotl is a fine-art series
referencing Aztec mythology. In the series, a Xoloitzcuintli dog is seen wandering in a
desert at sundown. The Xoloitzcuintli, or Mexican Hairless dog, received his name from the
Aztec god Xolotl. The national dog of Mexico, it is one of the oldest and rarest dog
breeds in the world, having accompanied mankind for at least 3,000 years.

In Aztec mythology, Xolotl is the Sunset god, twin of the Sun god Quetzalcoatl. He is
shaped like a dog and accompanies the Sun into the land of Death every night.

The earthly dogs were gifted to mankind with the instruction to protect and care for them.
In return, when the time comes, their dogs would guide the human souls in the afterlife.
The deceased soul and its dog companion would travel side by side beneath the earth for
four years before finally reaching their ultimate destination, Mictlan.

Sophie Gamand is a French photographer living and working in New York. Since 2010, her work focuses on dogs and our relationship with them, in an attempt to better understand the human society.

Awards Sony World Photography Award, Portrait category, 2014.