Massive mythical creatures fill Fernbank Museum with the arrival of Spirit Guides

Massive mythical Mexican creatures call Fernbank Forest home right now, thanks to the newest exhibit at Fernbank Museum—Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures.

“All of the animals that we have are a blend of two animals,” Fernbank Museum’s Maria Moreno told WSB-TV’s Nelson Hicks. We have a jaguar and an eagle, a monkey and an iguana and they’re all these fantastic creatures from Zapotec astrology that are spirit guides for people who believe in in astrology and are indigenous to Mexico. So throughout their lifetime they get assigned this spirit guide that walks with them through life.”

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Southern Mexico’s indigenous traditions come to life in the form of eight hand-painted sculptures. With Fernbank’s Wildwoods serving as a backdrop, those visiting the museum will encounter some extraordinary creations and behold their beautiful colors, whether they want to view them, take a few photos or find a deeper connection.

“People will be able to come here and look at our spirit guides and hopefully they feel a connection with one of them and they see themselves in one of our spirit guides,” Moreno said. “For example, I love the monkey-iguana. The monkey (stands for) creativity while the iguana (stands for) patience and resilience. So I see myself in that sculpture. So, hopefully when people come, they’ll, one, learn more about Mexican culture, and two, they’ll see themselves within this outdoor exhibit as well.”

The creations blend a spirit protector with a spirit animal. Thus you end up with a wolf-fish and an armadillo insect.

Fernbank showcases Spirit Guides now through the beginning of August. But Spirit Guides isn’t the only thing to enjoy on a visit.

“I highly encourage everybody to visit our exhibits upstairs, Fantastic Forces and NatureQuest. I also really recommend A Walk Through Time in Georgia,” Moreno said. “It is our permanent exhibit as well and we also have Ultimate Dinosaurs. So that will be here for a little bit longer before Turtles comes out in the summer. So, that is something to look forward to for the summer months, and then heading out here to Fernbank Forest and Wildwoods and join our outdoor activities and heading out and seeing all of the beautiful flowers bloom.”

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This story is sponsored by Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

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