10 Photos That Capture the Wild Spirit of Mayan Warrior In New York

by Raja Staudt · July 13, 2022

Radical self-expression, extreme self-reliance, pronounced counterculture, thumping music and one-of-a-kind art installations—there’s a lot that makes Burning Man special.

But for those who can’t make the quest to Nevada’s Black Rock desert, Mayan Warrior offers a taste of the experience outside the playa.

Mayan Warrior, a collective of artists, craftsmen, photographers, designers, technologists and architects from Mexico City and Northern California, is behind one of Burning Man’s hottest art cars, a colossal custom truck that blends Mayan and Huichol art with modern technology. 2022 marks the collective's 10th anniversary, and the art car is on tour in the U.S. to celebrate.

On its most recent tour stop, Mayan Warrior held a doubleheader in New York, where the striking art car took over a sprawling warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on June 24th and 25th. Promoter collective Stranger Than, who organized Mayan Warrior’s first-ever West Coast appearance, co-produced the show alongside New York's Teksupport.

Mayan Warrior talent typically consists of emerging Mexican acts and acclaimed names in underground house and techno. New York was treated to sets from Mandrake, Lovecraft, Perel, Jenia Tarsol, Dramian, Moscoman, Chaim Avital, Asaf Samuel, and Robin Scott.

But like all Mayan Warrior events, lineups or set times were not shared. Performers were acknowledged on social media only once the party was over. This deliberate decision is one of many that Mayan Warrior makes to bring together folks with a sincere passion for underground dance music.

And at Mayan Warrior's New York takeover, there was plenty of underground dance music to revel in. From Lovecraft’s rousing live guitar to Moscoman’s expert transitions, each performer brought their distinct flair to the decks. But the common thread that tied the talent together was a delectable offering of mystic, melodic, and tribal house and techno.

Peak tunes like Latour's menacing "People Are Still Having Sex" and Red Axes' bizarre banger "James Bond vs Godzilla" ignited the dancefloor. Slow jams like Timo Maas' brooding mix of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" and C.Love's take on Desi song "Dholida Dhol Vagado" gave the crowd moments of respite.

Of course, the centerpiece of the festivities was the iconic Mayan Warrior art car, a heavy-duty International 4400 truck that’s been broken apart and reconstructed with an elevated DJ booth, over 300 watts of sharp lasers and loudspeakers with a consistent sound pressure of 143 decibels. The truck’s cab is formed into the head of a supernatural Mayan being while the sides are adorned with glowing geometric art that pays tribute to ancient Mayan culture

William A. Nericcio, a San Diego State University English scholar with research on Mexican influences in American pop culture has a fitting description for the extraordinary art car.

"One part Moebius, one part Carlos Castaneda, one part low-rider, one part Vegas, one part Studio 54, this automobilic melange of sights, sounds, and hubcaps (and DJs!) is the ultimate example of Latin American syncretism - the tribal communal spirit of la gente, inflecting the experience of raves and reinvesting it with something unique," Nericcio told NBC News. "While the ghost of Henry Ford would not approve, the shades of García Márquez and Frida Kahlo will be getting down to the light-driven, sound-source experience that is the Mayan Warrior."

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