Mexican Tattoos

Mexican tattoos are some of the most striking new patterns around. They take their themes from those of ancient Mayan, Inca and Aztec art, a very distinctive look that’s different from most other types of tattoo designs, yet instantly recognizable. The bold, geometric patterns of Mexican tattoos make them very well suited to tattoo art.

There are several tattoo motifs that we commonly see with regard to Mexican tattoos. For example, the Aztec sundial is recognizable worldwide, and is a very popular Mexican tattoo design. Quetzalcoatl – the feathered serpent god of ancient Mexico – has also been adapted to Mexican tattooing, as has the god of youth, Chalchiuhtlia. All of these images are rendered in bold color rather than black and white for maximum impact, though a simple Aztec image in black and white can also be very striking and may be your tattoo of choice.

These Aztec and Inca inspired Mexican tattoos are a relatively recent innovation, ironically enough. Of course, the ancient cultures did use those selfsame images, and they did have tattooing, but the two did not intersect. The ancient Aztec tattoo designs, for example, were rather rudimentary, and were designed to mark a person’s status rather than to decorate the body. On the other hand, one type of Mexican or Hispanic tattoo has been current for some time, and that is the gang or prison related tattoo. These tattoo designs often feature ornate letters and Christian (specifically Catholic) images. These include images of certain saints, as well as cross or Christ imagery.

Nowadays, there’s much more to Mexican tattoos than a prison or gang related design. Mexican tattoos are among the most beautiful and original new tattoos designs, and may well replace tribal and Celtic tattoos as the tat to get in the coming decade! Before you decide on a Mexican tattoo design, do a bit of research about the mythology that engendered it, and the precise meaning of the image you are choosing. After all, you will be living with this image for the rest of your life, presumably, so you want to make sure that it resonates with you – in more ways than just appearance. Some of Aztec, Maya and Inca mythology is inspiring, but some of it tends to be a bit dark, so you need to make sure that you don’t end up with an image whose meaning you aren’t completely comfortable with!