El Cipitio

I was commissioned to do this special little painting of El Cipitio of El Salvador.

It's my interpretation of a small postage stamp that El Salvador put out several years ago.

"El Cipitio"
8x10 inches
acrylics on canvas




El Cipitio

(From Wikipedia)

El Cipitio es un cipote (niño) de 10 años con un estomago bien grande.

Su nombre se toma de la palabra del nahuat “Cipit” o “Cipote” que significa niño. Algunos también relacionan su nombre con el de Xipe Totec.

Según la leyenda, él es el hijo de un romance prohibido de una mujer nativa llamada Sihuehuet, conocida como Siguanaba y del hijo del dios Tlaloc.

El Cipitio fue condenado por Tlaloc, a vivir para siempre como un chico de 10 años con sus pies colocados al revés, como recordatorio del amor perverso de su madre.

Las historias que cuentan los campesinos, es que él viene a sus campos y que encuentran los pasos de un muchacho, pero se pierden siguiéndo las huellas, porque algunos no saben que el Cipitio tiene sus pies al revés, lo siguen en la dirección incorrecta.

Otra característica del Cipitio es que le gusta comer cenizas, lanza piedritas a las señoritas hermosas y le gusta comer mucho la variedad de plátanos conocidos como “Guineo Majoncho” de El Salvador. él podría también “Teletransportarse” donde quiera y cuando lo desee.

Cipitio is a legendary character of Salvadoran (El Salvador, Central America) folklore. He is generally portrayed as a 10 year old boy with a big hat and a large belly. His name is taken from the Nawat word for child: "Cipit" or "Cipote". Some also relate his name to the deity Xipe Totec.^{[citation needed]}

According to the legend, he is the son of a forbidden romance between an indigenous queen called Sihuehuet or Ziquet, now commonly known as La Sihuanaba, and lucero de la mañana. Cipitio is the child of this affair. When Ziguet's husband found out about this affair he sought the assistance of the very powerful god Teotl. Ziguet and Cipitio were cursed and condemned by Teotl. Cipitio is to live forever as a 10 year old boy with his feet in backwards position, as a reminder of the twisted and illicit affair of his parents. Stories are told of farmers that come to their fields and find the footsteps of a boy, but eventually get lost following them because, not knowing that Cipitio has his feet backwards, they follow them in the wrong direction.^[1]

Cipitio is represented as liking to eat ashes,^[2] throwing pebbles to beautiful ladies,^[3] and likes to eat a variety of banana called "Guineo Majoncho". He could also "Teleport" anywhere he wants.

A couple of short stories with this character can be found in the book Cuentos de Cipote by the Salvadoran writer and poet Salvador Salarrué.

In a TV show for the Salvadoran Educational Television Station he is portrayed by Rolando Meléndez, who has played the role for several seasons. Each episode features the problems that Salvadoran children find in their communities, families and schools; El Cipitio helps them while teaching morals and values.