The Murals of Ajijic Part 10: Calle Juarez from the Carretera to Calle 16 de Septiembre

A giant female face covered with tattoos fills the wall of Siker Imprenta. Ojos de Dios (God's Eyes) are below her right cheek. These symbols are sacred to indigenous people in Mexico, most particularly the Huicholes (Wixáritari) The diamond pattern is woven on crossed sticks representing the Four Cardinal Directions (north, south, east, west). The green eye in the middle represents the center of the world. Upon the birth of a child, the father weaves the central eye and adds an additional layer each year until the child reaches five. An Ojo de Dios is a prayer for the child's long health and provides divine protection.

Siker Imprenta is a print shop on the corner of Calle Juaez and the Carretera, (the main street through Ajijic). There are additional murals on Siker's north side. In this posting, I will focus on Calle Juarez, which runs south to Calle Ocampo. There, it is renamed Calle 5 de Mayo, which runs down to the lakeshore. This is the only mural on Juarez/5 de Mayo with a human image. All the rest include various animals (some mythical) and one rather abstract image of Lago de Chapala.

A wide-eyed chihuahua wears a penacho (head dress) of quetzal feathers. The background includes flowers and mountains, probably representing the view toward the south side of Lago de Chapala. The penacho, earrings and necklace are of the kind worn by Mexica (Aztec) aristocrats and those of other pre-hispanic civilizations. The green quetzal feathers were especially prized for this purpose and indicated a high rank. A penacho much like this was given to Hernán Cortéz by Mexica Emperor Moctezuma. Part 4 of this series shows a mythical figure dressed much like this chihuahua.

Chihuahuas are a mix of pre-hispanic dogs and small European dogs brought to the New World by the Spanish. The pre-hispanic dogs arrived from Siberia 10,000 years ago and the DNA of modern chihuahuas contains about 4% of the genetic material from those ancient dogs. The ancient people, including the Mexica, raised dogs as both pets and for food. They also revered a dog-god called Xoloti or Xolotl whose purpose was to guide the sun through the underworld during the night and to act as the god of fire and bad luck. The muralist left no name or date. The word "Sayer" in left corner refers to a brand of paint local artists use.

This fantastic creature is a mix of a panther, an eagle, and a horned dragon. The intense expression on the face of this creature strongly suggests that something is being stalked. The prey is probably the colorful armadillo you will see in the next photo. The mural can be found on the west side of Juarez, just south of Calle Zaragoza. There was no artist's name or date.

Pre-hispanic people created images of a variety of composite creatures from multiple species. In Aztec mythology, a primordial sea monster called Cipactli was a mix of crocodile, fish, toad, and serpent. Many pre-hispanic civilizations revered Quetzalcoatl, a god who had the body of a serpent but the feathers of a bird. The Olmecs produced multiple sculptures of Were-Jaguars, which were half-human and half jaguar. 

A small armadillo stands its ground against the panther/eagle/dragon. Armadillos look just like this little guy, only without the bright colors. Instead, the bodies of living armadillos are in various shades of brown, providing fairly decent camouflage against predators. Their Spanish name means "little armored one" and refers to the leathery shell that covers most of the body. When threatened, an armadillo sometimes rolls itself up into an impenetrable ball. The Aztecs called them ayotochtli, meaning "turtle-rabbit" a name that also seems to fit.

A Feathered Serpent drapes itself over the door of a shop selling maiz (corn). The shop's sign reads "The Sons of the Corn! We are sons of the same Cob". The Feathered Serpent is the personification of Quetzalcoatl, who was worshipped by many ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The Maya called him Kulkulkan and the great staircases on the pyramid called El Castillo at Chichen Itza are decorated with Feathered Serpents.

At the bottom, almost as an afterthought, the muralist has included an agave plant framed by two rabbits. The agave was a very useful plant for pre-hispanic people. The fibers from its leaves made string, baskets, and sandals. The spines at the ends of the leaves became needles. The heart of the agave produced a mildly alcoholic beverage called pulque. Rabbits also had an association with pulque. The Aztec god called Ome Tochtle, meaning "Two Rabbits", was the god of drunkenness.

Detail of the Feathered Serpent's head. The muralist has apparently done his homework because this image is a close match to the Feathered Serpent I saw at the Great Citidel in Teotihuacan. Note the gourd clutched in the left claw of the serpent. The liquid spilling out is probably pulque. Could it be that the Feathered Serpent is sloshed? Given his expression, the languid way he is draped over the door, and the presence of the agave and the rabbits, this is a distinct possibility. 

Forming the end of the serpent's tail is an ear of ripe blue maiz. There is a complicated Aztec myth about Quetzalcoatl's creation of human beings and the discovery of life-giving maiz. The short version is this: Quetzalcoatl was one of the Creator Gods who formed the world. Quetzalcoatl was given the task of populating it.  

After many adventures in the Underworld, the Feathered Serpent managed to create human beings, but they were weak because they had nothing to eat. With the assistance of some ants, he discovered kernels of maiz and taught humans how to grow them into food. The muralist was Noel Chalez, who completed the mural in 2023. His gallery is located at Calle Marcos Castellanos #2, Ajijic.

 

Lovely mural of a feeding hummingbird. This is part of a larger mural on the west side of Juarez. Unfortunately, the other part was partially damaged, so I just included this detail. There are at least 5 species of hummingbirds that inhabit the area around Ajijic. Several of them regularly came to feed on the flowers on the terrace garden of our home. In 2013, I did a blog post about a local woman known as Flossie the Hummingbird Lady She maintained numerous feeders that attracted swarms of them. Flossie has since moved back to the U.S. and her hummingbird oasis is gone, but there are still plenty of these birds around.

The Aztecs revered hummingbirds, believing them to be the spirits of warriors who died in battle. The Nahuatl word for hummingbird is huitzilin (wee-tzeel-een). The most important Aztec deity was Huitzilopochtli, the god war and the sun. His name means "Hummingbird of the South". According to their creation myth, Huitzilopochtli's mother was Coatlicue  (Skirt of Snakes). She picked up a hummingbird nest while sweeping out her temple. This act impregnated her, resulting in the birth of Huitzilopochtli, who was born as a full-sized adult warrior. 

A parrot in flight decorates a wall on the northeast corner of Juarez and Ocampo.  The muralist, who is unidentified, accurately portrayed this beautiful bird. There are 150 species of neotropical parrots, including 22 species in Mexico. I saw some of them in the wild in Mexico's lowland areas and also in Guatemala and Costa Rica. At ancient sites such as Cacaxtla, archeologists have found pens that some believe were used for raising parrots. Their feathers were a valuable item traded as far north as the ancient communities within today's New Mexico and Arizona. In return, those ancient people sent back turquoise. 

A pair of huge Monarch butterflies decorate the west side of the street. Monarchs are a symbol of Mexico, like mariachis or tequila. Their population makes an epic round-trip migration from the state of Michoacan to the northern U.S. and Canada and back. However, no single monarch makes this whole trip. It is a multigenerational effort. I visited their nesting area  deep in the mountains of Michoacan while on a trip to the colonial-era city of Morelia. I was overwhelmed by their beauty and their vast numbers.

Butterflies, like hummingbirds, figure prominently in Mesoamerican mythology.    Teotihuacan was the capital city of the greatest civilization of that ancient world. Butterflies  appear there on ceramics, incense burners, and wall paintings. To the ancient people, they represented transformation and the return of the dead. Butterflies were believed to contain the souls of the deceased. Orange, the color of Monarchs, is widely used during Mexico's celebration of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Every November 2, a great fiesta celebrates the return of the dead to visit their relatives.

A desert scene with two small dogs fills the wall of this home on the west side of Juarez.

The dogs are not stylized, but appear to be genuine portraits, so they are probably the pets of the home's owner. The scene also contains a large saguaro cactus and three flowering barrel cacti, two plants native to Mexico that I discussed in Part 9. The bougainvillea plant spilling over the wall at the top is real (not painted). Bougainvillea blooms all year throughout Ajijic. The muralist is Victor Alcazar. I showed his murals and studio on Calle 16 de Septiembre in Part 8 of this series. He painted this scene in 2023.

 

A vision of Lago de Chapala and Ajijic. This mural can be found on the wall of a home on the east side of Juarez. It is located about 1/2 way between Ocampo and 16 de Septiembre. The rust colored steeple of Ajijic's Parroquia (Parish church) rises in the bottom left. In the upper right, the rising sun looks like the spokes of a ship's wheel. In the center, a boat floats on blue water while wild vegetation sprouts along the shore. There was no artist's name or date.

A proud papá treats his sons to ice cream. I decided to end this posting with the photo above. While hunting murals along Juarez, I encountered this trio and asked permission to take their photo. As Mexicans so often do, they kindly agreed. Like many of the murals I have shown in this series, the photo captures the essence of the Mexico I have come to love. 

This completes Part 10 of my series on Ajijic's street art and murals. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please remember to include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

 

Street Art of Ajijic Part 9: Artist's Alley and the Plaza

A raging bull seems ready to charge right off the wall. This dynamic mural can be found on the north wall of Artist's Alley, where it meets Calle Castellanos. It was painted on the side wall of a carnecería (butcher shop). The name of the artist is a bit uncertain. It may be Bruno Mariscal, who painted the rest of the murals along the Alley's north wall. However, it doesn't quite fit his style, at least to my eye. It is possible that the artist is Aldo Varela, who usually sets up a table to display his work in front of the bull. He painted a series of murals directly across the Alley on the south wall. 

I previously showed the murals along the south side of the Artist's Alley in Part 3 of this series. This time, I will cover the murals on the north side, as well as those in the Jardin Restaurant, the sculptures on the Plaza's quiosco (bandstand), and some of the murals in the stairwell of the Centro Cultural. To see even more of the Plaza's artwork, beyond what I have covered in Parts 3 and 9, check out my posting from January 24, 2009. That one includes some murals and other art work that have since been painted over or removed. 

This mural, also by Bruno Mariscal, shows some of the local flora and fauna. This artwork can be found just to the left of the bull. Sr. Mariscal also painted the iguana mural shown in Part 2. To the left of the door are cacti called Mexican Fence Post (Pachycereus marginatus) and Flowering Barrel (Ferocactus emoryi). Next to the Barrel cactus are leaves of the Maguey, a succulent related to agave. To the right of the door are two other cacti. The first is a tall green Saguaro (Carnegiea gigatea). Below it is a flowering Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica). Monarch butterflies and tiny humming birds complete the scene. 

The cacti shown are not only attractive, but are used for a variety of purposes in Mexico. For example, the Nopal's paddles are edible and highly nutritious, as are its fruit, called a tuna. The Barrel cactus holds water and has been used by desert travelers to quench their thirst in emergencies. The Mexican Fence Post lives up to its name. Many farmers line the borders of their fields with these plants to keep stray cattle from devouring their maiz (corn) crops. The variety of Maguey called agave azul is used to make tequila. The native people also made string, sandals, and baskets from fiber stripped from Maguey leaves. 

Two of the great heroes of the Mexican Revoluton. Pancho Villa (right) points a smoking gun in your face while Emiliano Zapata (left) fixes you with his characteristically intense gaze. Both men rose from humble beginnings. Zapata was a horse trainer from the southern state of Morelos while Villa was a bandit chieftain in the northern deserts of Chihuahua. 

Both were natural military geniuses who ran circles around their opponents. 

The two men played key roles in the Revolution before they were each assassinated, Zapata in 1919 and Villa in 1923. It has been said that revolutions devour their children. In fact, very few of the great leaders of the Mexican Revolution managed to die in bed. Ironically, one of the few who did was Porfirio Diaz, the dictator whom the revolutionaries overthrew. Bruno Mariscal painted this in 2010 to help celebrate the Bicentennial of  the War for Independence (1810) and the Centennial of the Revolution (1910). 

Four more Mexican heroes, this time from the War of Independence from Spain. The artist was again Bruno Mariscal. From left to right are Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, José María Morelos y Pavon, Doña Marîa Josefa Ortiz, and Ignacio Allende y Unzaga. All were leaders during Independencía, as the war is called in Mexico. Hidalgo and Morelos were both Catholic priests who rose up to lead the insurgent forces. Doña María (often called La Corregidora) was the wife of a corregidor (a Spanish official). Allende was a young cavalry officer in the colonial militia who was Hidalgo's second-in-command.

Hidalgo, Morelos, and Allende were eventually captured by royalist forces and executed. La Corregidora survived the war after many adventures. She is revered in the city of Querétaro where she was living when she tipped off Hidalgo and Allende that the Spanish were coming. Morelos had a Mexican state named after him as well as a huge statue in Patzcuaro, Michoacan. Allende's home town of San Miguel was later re-named San Miguel de Allende. Hidalgo's name appears on statues and streets everywhere in Mexico. Click here for the full story of  Independencía. 

Jardin Restaurant

The Jardin (Garden) Restaurant lives up to its name. Its collection of plants and flowers forms an artwork in itself. The Jardin is located where Artist's Alley joins the northeast corner of Ajijic's Plaza. It has been one of Ajijic's landmarks for at least 20 years. The walls inside of the restaurant are filled with the works of local artists, but the most popular area is the patio in front. There, shaded by large umbrellas and surrounded by a jungle of flowers, you can while away a long Mexican afternoon, enjoy the company of old friends or meet new ones.

Cups of hot coffee sit steaming on a table below a couple of anthropomorphic trees.  The cups and table are actually part of the mural, which includes a vista of Lake Chapala and the mountains overlooking its south shore. This is one of two murals by Bruno Mariscal on the wall that extends along the east side of the patio.  

A second lake scene by Sr. Mariscal features two Great White egrets. This work is especially interesting because it combines a painted background with the low-relief sculpture of the egret sitting on a dead branch. The scene is very effective in creating the illusion that you are looking through the arched portal of a lakeside home. In my meanderings along the shores of Lake Chapala, I have often encountered and photographed scenes like this.

El Quiosco (The Bandstand)

Ajijic's Plaza received a dramatic facelift in 2012, including a refurbished quiosco. The quiosco can be seen in the background. The wooden sculpture in the left foreground was created by Antonio Lopez Vega, a noted local artist and sculptor. He took the trunk and branches of a dead tree and carved his impression of Tlaloc, the God of Rain. Tlaloc was one of the most important gods in the pre-hispanic world. In addition to improvements to the quiosco, the Plaza was entirely resurfaced, incorporating a dramatic design that includes five sunbursts.

The Plaza project was inspired by the artist Federico Enciso and a contractor named Marco Zaragoza. They persuaded the city authorities to embrace their vision and enlisted the talents of a variety of local artists, including Juan Navarro, Javier Ramos, Bruno Mariscal, and Antion Cardenas. In addition to artists, a number of masons, carpenters, and ironworkers have contributed their skills to the effort. The costs of the project were covered by a mix of government funding and voluntary contributions and fundraisers.

A pair of metal Great White egrets are among the various animals adorning the quiosco. The railing on each side of the hexagonal structure contains various animals in very natural poses. The material to create these sculptures was obtained by melting down and re-working old iron railings and park benches. Great White and Snowy egrets can be found year-round along the shores of Lake Chapala. They often fish together, although they are different species.

Another large bird inhabiting the lakeshore is the White Pelican. Unlike the egrets, the White Pelicans are migratory. They spend the period from October to March at the Lake. Then, they fly north to U.S. and Canadian lakes until the following Fall, when they return to Lake Chapala. The pelicans are very comical on land, but they are powerful and graceful in the air and on the water. Local iron workers closely cooperated with the artists to make these sculptures.

A manatee grazes on plants in the relief sculpture that surrounds the quiosco's base. A skilled local mason named Tomás López is responsible for this beautiful work. He used a combination or river rocks, cement, and volcanic cantara to create the underwater scenes. 

Manatees are not native to Lake Chapala. However, according to possibly apocryphal stories, they were introduced to combat the invasive lirio (water hyacinth) that periodically chokes the shores of the lake. True or not, the stories have captured local imaginations and manatees regularly appear in local artworks. Lirio, on the other hand, is very real. It was introduced by wealthy hacienda owners who wanted to decorate the ponds of their casas grandes. The lirio made its way into the lake and has been a problem ever since. 

Centro Cultural 

The Rain God Tlaloc spews water from his hands and mouth. The muralist was Jesus Lopez Vega. I have shown his work in other postings of this series. In addition to the work above, the following three are his murals and all of them can be found in the Centro Cultural. The head and clawed paws of a jaguar appear above Tlaloc, over a panel covered with symbols. Emerging from the jaguar's mouth is a human face. All these were powerful images in pre-hispanic times. Jesus Lopez Verga has been my friend for many years and  Antonio Lopez Vega, who carved the Tlaloc statue by the quiosco, is his brother.

Teomichihuali, the Goddess of the Lake. She was revered by the Coca people who lived along the shores of Lake Chapala. Teomichihuali was believed to be the benevolent protector of everything in the lake and along its shores. Sr. Lopez Vega has filled the Centro Cultural's two-story stairwell with images like this. In addition to the pre-hispanic themes, historical figures like Emiliano Zapata also appear.

Pre-hispanic figures follow bare footprints along a path to their new home. Their leader points the way to "The place where the water springs forth". This is one translation of Ajijic, the name of our pueblo. The images above borrow heavily from the Aztecs (they actually called themselves Mexica--May-she-ka). The footprints on the path are typical Mexica images indicating a legendary journey. The clothing worn by the figures above include tilmahtlis (cloaks) and maxlatls (loincloths). These were the basic dress for Aztec men. The sandals were called cactli, and were generally restricted to the nobility.

Pre-hispanic homes surround a temple set on a low platform. These ancient structures were made from upright sticks plastered with mud. The roof was made of thatched vegetation. Some houses sit on stone bases, which would have kept the house dry in rainy weather or low-level flooding.  Although the houses themselves have long-since disappeared, residential platforms like these can be found in ancient sites all over Mexico and Central America. Overhead, a huge eagle or hawk spreads its wings protectively over the community.

This completes Part 9 of my series on the murals of Ajijic. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please be sure to include your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

Ajijic's wonderful street art Part 8: The murals of Calle 16 de Septiembre

Dogs, dogs everywhere and nary a woof to be heard! This wonderful mural was painted by a true dog lover named Michael Noel Wallace, who created it in 2020. The work is located along the front wall of Casa de Las Palomas, on Calle 16 de Septiembre just west of its intersection with Calle Donato Guerra. The variety of breeds, each lifelike image wearing a different expression, is truly amazing. The mural is so long that I could only include part of it in my photo. 

Michael Noel Wallace  trained at the De Medici School of Fine Art in Florence, Italy. He worked in Dallas, Texas painting theatre backdrops before moving to Mexico about 20 years ago. Today, he lives in Ajijic. This posting will focus on 16 de Septiembre from Donato Guerra to Calle Nicolas Bravo. I included a couple of murals on Calle Miguel Blanco just north of its intersection with 16 de Septiembre. Where I have been able to obtain information about the muralists and the dates of their works, I will include them.

A very lively design which includes flowers and various animals. The mural covers the front wall, door, and garage of a home located on the east side of Miguel Blanco a few meters north of its intersection with 16 de Septiembre. I could find no artist's signature or symbol and no date.

A Nahual creeps across the door-overhang of this house on Miguel Blanco. Nahuals are mythical creatures popular in Mexican art. They are shamanic shape-shifters usually appearing in the form of a large cat or jaguar with either a smiling or inquisitive expression. The name comes from the Nahuatl language and refers to an indigenous religious practicioner, shaman, or magician. 

Nahuals are human beings who can transform themselves into animals such as jaguars or sometimes owls. They might be good or evil, depending on an individual Nahual's personality. The deterioration of this mural indicates that it has been around for quite a while I would not be surprised if it has been painted over since I took this shot. I could find no artist's signature or date.

Black dogs are reputed to be symbols of good luck. My friend Jesus Lopez Vega was the muralist who created this work on the northeast corner of Miguel Blanco where it meets 16 de Septiembre. Although there is no date, I believe it was painted within the last year or so. As usual he has included other animals, such as the horse in the background, and scenes from Ajijic, such as the Parroquia (parish church). Another touch typical of Sr. Lopez Vega is the inclusion of objects (seen along the bottom) used by the ancient people in their rituals and offerings. He once showed me a box of similar items he had collected along the shore. 

This mural was inspired by Paleo-Indian art. Unfortunately, it has since been painted over, but it once covered the wall of the south side of 16 de Septiembre, directly opposite the intersection with Miguel Blanco. Ten thousand years ago, Paleo-Indian people created the images from which this mural was copied. They painted pictographs on cave walls and cliff faces, but only a few of those have survived. However, thousands of petroglyphs still exist. They are images pecked into the rock surface with tools of stone and bone. 

I have seen pictographs and petroglyphs very similar to these during my excursions into the wilds of central and northern Mexico and in the southwestern United States. An ancient petroglyph appears in my post on Mezcala, east of Ajijic on the shore of Lake Chapala. Others can be seen in my post on Mascota, northwest of Ajijic in the Coast Range. Painted handprints, similar to those above, can be seen in my post about the Loltun Cave in Yucatan. I have always found the ancient images--particularly the handprints--to be haunting echos of a very distant past.

The Virgen de Guadalupe looks down upon a small cat.  The images are set into what appears to be an arch in the wall of a house on the north side of 16 de Septiembre. The arch is actually part of the painting. Framing the illusory arch are trees and flowers typically found in the area around Ajijic. I could find no artist's signature or date. The Virgen de Guadalupe is the Patron of Mexico and its poor and indigenous people. Her image appears everywhere and fiestas celebrating her are held all over Mexico each December 12.

A horse peers out of its stall in another part of the same mural. This time the arch appears to be the entrance to a dark stall in an hacienda stable. The effect is very realistic. I have encountered similar (but real) horses peering at me from nearly identical stalls at many of the haciendas I have visited. 

Horses are very curious creatures and the sound of approaching footsteps will almost always cause them to stick their heads out to see who is visiting their stable. An apple or carrot or even a handful of fresh grass will create an instant friend. Unfortunately, in this case I had none of these. Of course, it is also just a painting. There was no artist's signature or date.

The gallery of local artist Victor Alcazar. His gallery is located on the south side of 16 de Septiembre, just across the street from the mural of the Virgen de Guadalupe and the horse. Victor Alcazar is from Guadalajara, but moved to Ajijic ten years ago. He has been a professional artist for 15 years and has painted several street murals around Ajijic. He has also been commissioned for work in private homes.

A cat with a dunce cap is curled up on a wheeled chair on the front of the gallery.  Attached to the cat is a balloon. This is another example of the quirky sense of humor I so often find in Mexican art. What does it all mean? Whatever you want it to mean. Surreal and exotic themes also appear in Sr. Alcazar's work. The Bicentennial of Mexico's Independence War and the Centennial of its Revolution both occurred in 2010. To help celebrate it, Alcazar painted a revolutionary soldier wearing a huge sombrero on the front of a house near my condo. It was a very arresting work and totally unlike the scenes on his gallery.

A blue rooster wearing a set of in-line roller skates struts past a cactus. The creature displays a deep sense of purpose and dignity in spite of the absurdity of the image. Roosters are ubiquitous in Mexico and often appear in the work of its artists.

This completes Part 8 of my series on the mural art of Ajijic. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any questions or thoughts in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

The murals of Ajijic Part 7: Calle Encarnación Rosas from Emiliano Zapata to 16 de Septiembre

 

Mural of a lovely lady. This image covers the garage door of a house on the corner of Calle Emiliano Zapata that formerly contained a beauty parlor. It may have originally been intended as an advertisement. The artist is a young man named Orlando Solano Alvarez, who started out with graffiti, but later turned to commissioned murals and other forms of art, including tattoos. His work has appeared previously in this series (see Part 5) and will be shown again in future parts. In this posting, I will show some of the art works that appear along Calle Encarnación Rosas between Calles Emiliano Zapata and 16 de Septiembre.

This tile mural is on the corner of Encarnación Rosas and Calle Constitution. A painted ceramic vase is filled with calla lilies and what may be marigolds. Both kinds of flowers have deep symbolic meanings in Mexcio. Calla lillies are perennials that blossom around Easter and are therefore associated with death, rebirth, and new beginnings. Marigolds are closely associated with death, particularly during the fiesta called Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Marigolds are placed along paths leading to family altars for deceased family members. The fragrance guides them on their long journey home for a visit.

Surrounding the pot of flowers is a border of painted tiles in a style called Talavera. Such tiles have a long history in Mexico. In the 16th century, craftsmen of the Spanish town of Talavera had become famous for their beautiful tile work. In 1571, Spanish friars began  construction on Convento de Santo Domingo in the recently founded city of Puebla (east of Mexico City). The friars wanted to decorate the Convento's church with painted tiles, so they recruited craftsmen from Talavera to come and teach the indigenous people how to make them. Puebla has been producing Talavera tiles ever since. 

Three children of different ethnicities joyfully clutch at butterflies. This is the first of nine murals arranged in a side-by-side series along Encarnación Rosas where it intersects with 16 de Septiembre. They are painted on a line of plywood barriers that was put up to mask construction work on a new condominium called Lago Lindo. Covering the barriers with beautiful murals was the idea of Linda Jeschofnig, the developer. Once the condo project is completed, the panels will be sold to help fund local art programs for children. 

The murals were created by art teachers and their students as well as professional artists. The panel above was painted by David Balan. He was born in Antiqua, Guatemala and graduated with a degree in business administration from a university in that country. However, he chose to follow his passion for art, which combines technical mastery with story-telling. David Balan relocated to Chapala in 2024 and has been participating in the Lakeside art community ever since.

A colorful alebrije peers over its shoulder at its fluffy tail.  Alebrijes are fantastical creatures that have become a very popular form of Mexican folk art. The muralist is a professional artist named Jane Slaton whose art career has spanned 40+ years. She is responsible for a number of Ajijic's murals. She is very active in the Lakeside art scene, and volunteers at a local art program for children. 

Collaborating with her on the mural were a teacher from the art program and two of the students. Eréndira Elizabeth Diaz Castillón not only teaches art but is an art therapist. She enlisted two of her students to help. Quetzalli Aragón Castellanos is twelve years old and has already begun exhibiting her work and winning awards. The other student, seventeen-year-old Renata Lopez Valencia, specializes in water colors and mixed media. Slaton and her group also created another mural in the Lago Linda series.

A huge peacock peers out from the next mural. Karol del Toro is the signature on the work, but she is identified elsewhere as Viviana Carolina del Toro Pullido. She also painted another bird, a toucan, which appears later in this posting. Karol del Toro's career spans more than thirty years, starting when she was only ten years old. Specializing in painting, drawing, and portraiture, she has represented Mexico in an international art event in Colombia. She is also a make-up artist who does professional work for regional artistic performances. 

The image presented here represents the unity of humanity and nature. The artists Mario Ramirez and Itzel Montion collaborated on this mural, as well as a later one in this posting. Mario Ramirez was raised in the agave fields of Tequila and his work often focuses on local folk traditions, including Ajijic's fiestas (see Part 1). Itzel Montión is a painter and sculptor who was born in Itzlahuacan de Membrillos and graduated from the Universidad de Guadalajara. She has exhibited her work all over Mexico. 

Another alebrije created by Jane Slaton's group. A multi-colored creature resembling a fox peers over its shoulder at a fluttering butterfly. The fox is surrounded by "birds of paradise" flowers. Alebrijes were the product of hallucinations experienced by the artist Pedro Linares when he became severely ill in 1936 in Mexico City. His fever produced dreams of imaginary beasts that were vividly colorful. The creatures screamed the nonsense word "alebrije!" (al-ay-bree-hay!) at him. After his recovery, he began to recreate his dream creatures in paper maché and decided to name them after their strange cry.

The famous artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo discovered his work and commissioned more of it, catapulting Linares to national fame. The alebrije concept was picked up by artists in Oaxaca, some of whom began to fashion the creatures in carved wood. The Zapotec people of Oaxaca believe in spirit animals called tonas and nahuales. Soon,  alebrijes began to appear in those forms. Today, alebrijes have become wildly popular and craftspeople all over Mexico create them.

Back-to-back images of Tlaloc, the Rain God, form the center of the mural series. Tlaloc can be identified by his goggle eyes and the fangs that droop down from his mouth. He was one of the most important of the pre-hispanic deities, especially following the appearance of agriculture about 10,000 years ago. The designs on either side of the Tlaloc faces mimic a style common in Aztec art. Swoxe Perez, whose full name is Bernardo Raul Pérez Alcala, was born in Chapala. Educated at the Universidad de Guadalajara, he specializes in the fusion of art forms. More of his murals will appear in future postings.

The bird appearing in the next mural was painted by Karol del Toro. She painted the peacock seen previously in this posting. The bird is a toucan, a Neotropical avian in the family Ramphastidae. They are known for their large, brightly-colored bills, which are sometimes used to fence with rival toucans in struggles for dominance.

Hands with various skin hues caress a human heart. This is another collaboration by Mario Ramirez and Itzel Montión Notice the nopal cactus on the left, with red tunas along the edges. This variety of cactus is edible, nutritious, and was harvested in the wild by pre-hispanic people as an important part of their diet. It is still widely consumed in Mexico and can be purchased at street markets.

After the sharp needle-like spines are scraped off, the green nopal "paddles" can be sliced up and eaten raw, or cooked in a variety of ways. The tunas are harvested as a tasty fruit. Notice also the small hummingbird on the right. At least five different species can be found in Ajijic. Pre-hispanic people believed that hummingbirds were divine messengers, symbols of the sun, and reincarnations of fallen warriors.

David Balan painted the final mural. It is similar, but not identical, to the first mural in this posting. When I studied the two murals, I noticed that the curves of the trees form the two ends of a parenthesis. They create a beginning and end to the mural series. Each of the children in the two murals is of a different race or ethnicity. The children of the murals seem to be sending a message with their hands, but I am not certain of its meaning.  For the full story about how this amazing mural project came together, along with more about the artists, check out this video.

This completes Part 7 of my series on Ajijic's murals. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please remember to include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim