Zafiro

Zafiro

Zafiro - One of the Mayan gargoyles.

History

He is one of the four current pendant-wearers in the Mayan Clan, and also thus one of its four sole survivors. He helped protect the rain forest in Guatemala from Cyberbiotics, and from Jackal and Hyena when they entered Preston Vogel’s employ. He remained behind in Guatemala with Obsidiana when Turquesa and Jade temporarily went to Avalon to plant some of the tropical plants in the clan’s charge there. He may later visit New York to recover the Mayan Sun Amulet, though how he would journey there is unknown.

Zafiro and Obsidiana are mates, and will be the ancestors of Zafiro.

Characteristics

Zafiro differs from the other surviving gargoyles in his clan in that, instead of being humanoid in appearance, he resembles a winged serpent. Despite being the only one with this body structure, it is apparently quite common among Mayan gargoyles, with at least half of the members having it, on average. The eggs due to hatch in 1998 will reflect this fact; most of them will have serpentine bodies as well.

Real World Background

Zafiro’s appearance suggests that gargoyles of his variety in Central America could be the origin for the legends in that part of the world about flying serpents. In Mesoamerican legend, these flying serpents are known as couatl, and dwell in the depths of the rain forest. They are also linked to the legend of Quetzalcoatl, a culture-god of the Aztecs who was often depicted as a winged serpent. In the Gargoyles Universe, the story of Quetzalcoatl could well be a distorted memory of gargoyles that looked very much like Zafiro.

Production Background

Voice Actor: Hector Elizondo