In the 8-foot tall, brightly colored, wooden cutout titled, “The Young Jaguar Is Being Offered a Human Sacrifice to Please the Mayan Gods,” artist Andy Villarreal has painted an abstract of a pyramid with a jaguar standing on top. The animal’s mouth is wide open, ready to devour the Mayan citizen held aloft by a Mayan priest.

At the bottom of the artwork, another Mayan priest stands on a red, double-headed serpent encased within a window on the cosmos. Stars fill the space behind him as he oversees the frightening scene above him.

“I make it all up in my head,” Villarreal said. “The jaguar is young and inexperienced, so he’s just playing with his offering. But eventually the Mayan citizen will be eaten and, hopefully, the Mayan gods will be pleased.”

Villarreal’s fascination with Mayan culture and heritage is depicted in his exhibition, “Galactic Mayan Gods,” featuring numerous 8-foot and 10-foot-tall works on wood along with some smaller silk screen prints. The exhibition opens with a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22 at the gallery, 2803 Fredericksburg Road.

Villarreal’s love of Mayan culture started about 20 years ago when he took a trip to Mexico. “My work is inspired by the Meso-American culture from the Yucatan,” the artist explained. “It celebrates the history, rituals, the people and their ways of life. My work also deals with the past, present and future. Aliens and flying saucers are also present in my work. The Mayans were an advanced civilization.”

In his works, Villarreal includes warriors, kings, pyramids, jaguars and other important icons, he said.

The artist, who has degrees in painting and drawing, said although he has visited Europe and has studied art history, he chose to focus his works on Meso-American culture since he believes it is often overlooked in art.

“As you get older, your perspectives changes, so I decided to pay homage to the Mayan culture and Mexico since this is where my ancestors are from. This is what’s important to me,” he said.

Villarreal, who teaches art at the University of the Incarnate Word, earned his bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting from Corpus Christi State University and a master’s degree in fine arts from Arizona State University. In addition to devoting his time to his art, he has been teaching for more than 30 years.

His works have been featured in more than 50 exhibitions and dozens of art shows in Texas, New York, California and Mexico.

Special Event: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2 pm: Guest John Philip Santos discusses the work of artist Andy Villarreal. As an Emmy-nominated television producer, he has produced more than 40 broadcast documentaries and news programs on cultural themes in 16 countries for CBS and PBS. Since 2010, he has been University Distinguished Scholar in Mestizo Cultural Studies, teaching in the Honors College at the University of Texas San Antonio.