Ajijic's murals Part 12 of 12: Murals of the Present and Past

 

A woman surrounded by animals gives a shove to a mult-colored VW.  This mural can be found on Calle Ocampo near its northwest corner with Calle Colon. There is no house number, but a sign saying El Corozonito (The Little Heart) hangs at the front door. There is a lot going on in this mural. A fanciful bird flies just in front of the woman's face and in front of the bird, two Ojos de Dios (God's Eyes) hang down. Behind her head, a lizard-like creature stands. On the right, a tall thin monkey with a long curled tail gestures with its right arm. At the bottom right, a jaguar with an arched back glowers from the corner. 

This posting finishes my series on the murals of Ajijic. In this one, I will include art works that are randomly scattered around the pueblo, as well as some that no longer exist. Other murals seen here were replaced by newer ones, including some I have previously shown. This twelve-part series has drawn many favorable comments and I have enjoyed preparing and presenting it. Thanks to the many people who have responded! There was no date or signature on the mural above.

Murals of Calle Ocampo/Constitución

A group of nude women dances in the courtyard of the house at #12 Calle Ocampo. The figures dance wildly amid pouring rain. The midsections of many of them are globes, perhaps suggesting that the human world begins in a female womb. The house is on the south side of the street, a few doors west of the corner with Calle Colon. This photo was sent to me by an old friend who used to own the house and always loved the mural. Since it is a private home, permission would have to be asked to view it. I could find no signature or date.

The insouciant expression of this porker caught my attention. The pig is surrounded on three sides by large blue crystals and wears a necklace with a pendant. Above the pig's head, hummingbirds feed on what appears to be grape vines. The mural is located on the front of a art gallery at #16 Constitución on the south side of the street. This is the same street as Ocampo, but it picks up a new name east of the intersection with Calle Colon. The mural is fun but its meaning is obscure. There was no signature or date.

Vanished murals of Artist's Alley and Calle Castellanos

The assassination of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta. This and the next two murals once appeared on the south wall of Artist's Alley, the pedestrian pathway that leads from Calle Castellanos to Ajijic Plaza. They have since been covered over by murals featured in Part 3 of this series. Colosio was the 1994 presidential candidate of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The PRI governed the nation from its founding in 1929 to 2000. Colosio was campaigning in Tijuana when he was shot on March 23, 1994. In the scene above, he is about to be assassinated with a pistol aimed by a man standing in the shadows. 

Mario Aburto Martinez, the purported assassin, was arrested immediately, confessed, and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. The country was immediately plunged into a political crisis. The PRI replaced Colosio with Ernesto Zedillo, who went on to win the 1994 presidential election. Almost immediately after the assassination, rumors began circulating that the killing was the result of an internal battle within the PRI. Colosio was campaigning as a reformer and his election might have led to widespread changes that powerful interests viewed as threatening. 

Colosio lies at the feet of a sinister-looking group as a dog snarls at his corpse. Seated around the table from left to right are Carlos Salinas de Gotari, two unidentified men, and a Catholic cardinal. Salinas was President of Mexico when Colosio was assassinated. With their rather casual stance and expressions, the artist appears to be suggesting that the men were not unhappy with Colosio's demise. The unstated suggestion is that they may have been behind it, as many in Mexico have believed ever since. However, only the lone gunman was prosecuted in 1994. Then, thirty years later, came a bombshell announcement.

On November 8, 2025, a second person was arrested. Jorge Antonio Sánchez Ortega was an intelligence officer who had been sent to Tijuana to "monitor" the Colosio rally. He had been arrested at the scene because he had Colosio's blood on his clothes. Also, gunpowder residue was found on his hands. His intelligence boss arranged for his quick release and removal from Tijuana. Aburto, who confessed to the assassination, claims that is was the result of torture and threats to his family. In July, 2026, an appeals court ordered Sánchez Ortega's release because the statute of limitations for the murder had expired.

The third part of the mural shows workers breaking their chains and rising up.  This part of the mural was also located in Artist's Alley, next to the assassination panels. It is similar to other Mexican murals with political themes that I have photographed. Mexico's Revolution began in 1910, about seven years before the Russian Revolution. It was a time of radical change in various parts of the world and the plight of the working classes was highlighted in this kind of art. Great Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros all had political themes similar to this one.

Mural of a seated Maya noble painting the head of a statue. At his feet is a smaller figure with the face of a toothy lizard. The lizard-person also works on a painting. This appears to be based on images from ancient Maya codices and murals. Seated and cross-legged figures are  typical in Maya art and those ancient scenes are usually surrounded by hieroglyphs as this one is. At one time, this and the mural that follows both appeared on Calle Castellanos near its corner with Calle Guadalupe Victorio. In recent years, other murals have supplanted them.

A jaguar speaks while holding an object in its paw. This mural also closely imitates ancient Maya art. The symbols emerging from the big cat's mouth are how Maya artists once indicated speech. Night-hunting jaguars were revered in pre-hispanic times because they were believed to move freely between the worlds of the living and the dead. Since they are powerful hunters, their image was adopted by warriors and royalty, who often dressed in jaguar pelts. The four-petal flowers on the jaguar's body are symbols of the Four Cardinal Directions. Each holy direction has its own color and is represented by its own god.

Murals on the Malecon

A blue nude enjoys the sun's rays.  She is surrounded by the waving leaves of what appear to be aquatic plants. This and the next mural can both be found at the skateboard park on the Ajijic Malecon along Lago de Chapala. A malecon is an esplanade along a body of water like a lake, river, seashore. The skateboard park was designated as an area where graffiti artists could spraypaint to their hearts' delight. They seem to have taken full advantage of the opportunity, since there are numerous other art works in this area. These particular images may have been replaced by others since I took this photo.

Two more nudes luxuriate among the vegetation. Given that this skateboard ramp sees a lot of use, I would not be surprised if this mural has been repainted or replaced since I took these shots. In photographing Mexico's street art, I have noticed that nudity and explicit violence are often included. Sometimes these subjects appear at sites that would seem very unusual to many people in the United States. Local sites include the front walls of elementary schools, as well as skateboard parks like this one. Mexicans don't seem to have the same hang-ups about these subjects as do many folks who live north of the border.

The Carretera Murals

Stampeding carousel horses on Ajijic's Carretera. Mexicans seem to love carousels and particularly carousel horses. I have encountered paintings and carvings of such horses in numerous places other than carousels. Often, they can be found hanging on the walls of restaurants, businesses, or homes. Just another of Mexico's charming quirks, I guess. This is one panel of a lengthy mural along the bike path on the north side of the Carretera near its intersection with Calle Juan Alvarez. The Carretera is the single asphalt-paved road in Ajijic. All the rest in the pueblo are paved with cobblestones. 

Murals of Colonia San Sebastian

This mural is a work in progress. Each January 20, the people of the Barrio de San Sebasian throw a big party to honor the martyrdom of the saint for which the barrio is  (neighborhood) is named. The parade at the Fiesta de San Sebastian begins and ends at the corner of Calle Castellanos and Calle Emiliano Zapata, where the mural is located.

In the mural, San Sebastian is shown on the left, fastened to a tree and punctured by multiple arrows. There is also a whole lot more going on, as is usual with Ajijic's murals. In this and the next three photos, you will find not only the martyrdom, but a group of Sayacos (who represent a different tradition), the sun and moon duality (another, even more ancient ancient tradition), and the images of some of the real people who live in the barrio.  

Sayacos join the parade. Two of them stand at the right end while others are partly concealed behind the men carrying trays of food. The Sayaco tradition is unique to the pueblo of Ajijic and can be traced back to pre-hispanic legends. Their name comes from the Nahuatl word xayactl, which means "mask". The female figures (Sayacas) are actually men in dresses using inflated balloons to imitate female breasts. Sayacos are associated with the Carnaval season, which begins on January 6 and ends on February 10. This probably explains why they appear in this mural.

This section of the mural shows the sun and moon as well as men bearing trays of food.

The juxtaposition of the two celestial bodies harks back to the ancient pre-hispanic concept of duality. The ancient people believed that everything has its opposite: day (the sun) vs night (the moon), life vs death, good vs evil, etc. Nothing can be completely understood in the absence of its opposite. Ometeotl ("Dual God") was the pre-eminent god and contained both male and female aspects. 

Only three of the ten marching men who carry the food platters have human faces. One of them, wearing a blue hat, can be seen above. The three faces are images of real people who live in the barrio. When I took the shot, the figures with blank faces had not yet been filled in by the artist. If you visit this mural, they may all be complete by now.

An elderly couple stands at the left end of the mural. Between them and San Sebastian is an horno (oven). Igloo-shaped hornos are the traditional Mexican way to bake bread, cookies, and other tasty items. When I saw this couple and their oven, I immediately recognized them. Their home is right around the corner on Emiliano Zapata. and the firewood-heated horno is in their back room. In years past, I sometimes stopped by their little bakery to buy a loaf of their scrumptious fresh bread. As you can see, the artist had also not completed this part of the mural when I photographed it.

Part 12 is the last of my series on Ajijic's murals. I hope you have enjoyed this one, as well as the rest of the series. 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 may respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim

Ajijic's Street Murals Part 11 of 12: Calle Zaragoza from Calle Castellanos to Calle 5 de Febrero

I dubbed this figure "The Blue Lady". She is part of a larger mural, shown later in this posting. It covers a wall about 6 feet tall and 50 feet long on Calle Zaragoza. Just to the left of her face is the door to the house at #58. The artist is Orlando Solano Álvarez, whose work also appears in Part 5 of this series. In this posting, I will cover some of the most interesting murals along Zaragoza between Calle Castellanos and Calle 5 de Febrero.

Calle Castellanos to Calle Colon

A sunburst and various plants, flowers, and fruits line a a parking lot wall. The sunburst reminds me a bit of the "rising sun" emblem of the Japanese Empire during World War II. The wall extends west along Zaragoza from its corner with Castellanos. Another section extends south along Castellanos, where the signature of Juan Higuera appears. I could find no information about him on the internet and there is no date. If anyone knows this artist, please leave a comment. 

This mural, and two more that follow, can be found along Zaragoza between Castellanos and Calle Juarez. Please be advised that, although I note the numbers of some of the houses that have murals, street numbers in Ajijic often appear in no particular order. This can make it a bit challenging to find a specific house. In Mexico, it is often more useful to look for landmarks than street numbers. 

A flowering tree winds across the front of the house at #22 Zaragoza. The mural can be found a few doors west of the first photo on the same side of the street. A white bird. which resembles a Snowy egret, decorates the front door. These egrets can often be seen fishing along the shoreline of Lago de Chapala. I could find no artist signature or date.

This spectacular mural covers both stories of the house at #5 Zaragoza. It contains a wild mixture of people, flowers, and abstract designs. One little detail I liked was a silhouette of a young girl holding an umbrella over her head. She is protecting herself from a deluge of water flowing from a waterfall painted down the left side of the door. There was no signature or date. 

Calle Juarez to Calle Aquiles Serdan

The murals on the house at #32 Zaragoza are truly surreal. There are several and I will show them from left to right in this and the next three photos. Above, a running man in bare feet and a spotted suit carries a large flowering plant on (growing out of?) his head. He seems to be waving at passersby with both hands. His expression and posture are those of a kid proudly proclaiming "look Ma, no hands!"

Between two windows is a large flower with a human face. In the upper left is a tile image of the Virgen de Guadalupe, the patron of Mexico and its poor and indigenous people. My best guess is that the tile image pre-dates the mural. The coloring and features of the flower-face in this and the previous photo suggest that the people they portray are indigenous.

A head with a halo supports a large object from which a flowering plant emerges. The flower-lined shoulders and raised arms frame the mural. While the two previous images show faces that are clearly human, this one is a bit different. Humanity is only suggested by the one-eyed silhouette. It could just a well represent an alien visitor or a robot.

The garage door on the far right of #32 contains the final image. A reclining figure turns to view a sun circled by stars. Surrounding the image are more leafy plants. All four of these playful mural images suggest an intimate connection between humans and the natural world. 

Casa Flores, at #38, also has a long mural with multiple images. I will move from left to right across the front of the house to show the full set of images. The artist is Swoxe Perez, whose full name is Bernardo Raul Pérez Alcala. He was born in Chapala and educated at the Universidad de Guadalajara. His specialty is the fusion of art forms and his work also appears in Part 7.

The middle section of Casa Flores is covered with a wild profusion of plants. Casa Flores is one of several beautiful B&Bs located in Ajijic. The individual rooms are each decorated in a different artistic style and the common areas are full of fascinating objects of popular art.

The final panel on the right shows a serene view of the Lake in the evening. Although a bit pricey by Mexican standards, Casa Flores is comparable to the cost of a mid-range U.S. motel. It is located about 3 blocks from Ajijic's Plaza, making it convenient for visitors without a car. I have never stayed here, but the reviews on TripAdvisor are very good.

Calle Aquiles Serdan to Calle 5 de Febrero

A large bumble bee approaches an intricate design resembling a mandala. This mural is on the northwest corner of Zaragoza and Calle Aquiles Serdán. It would be easy to pass it by because it is partially concealed by a large overhanging tree. If I hadn't been on foot, I could have easily missed it. No artist's signature or date were visible.

A huge parrot stretches across the front door and garage of the house at #50. The mural is located on the south side of Zaragoza. The parrot's appearance is very realistic. Federico Luquin Guerra (who signed his work @Felugue ) is clearly familiar with birds. Sr. Luquin Guerra has 28 years of experience as an artist and has displayed his work at 25 individual and collective exhibitions. He has also created more than two dozen murals in Mexico and internationally. A painter and sculptor, he often uses stone and seashells in his creations. More of his work can be seen at his gallery at Carretera Poniente #117 B, Ajijic.

The "Blue Lady" seen in the first photo is part of a longer mural. As I noted in the first photo, Orlando Solano Álvarez (@orlandoantrax95) is the artist and his work has appeared several times in this series.  To the right of the Blue Lady, a hand (hers?) reaches out toward the brightest of a galaxy to stars. 

The west end of the mural contains another blue face, this time male. Another hand (his?) reaches back, pointing to the same bright star. This mural appears to echo ancient traditions in Mexico about the duality of the cosmos. Everything has its opposite--male and female, day and night, good and evil, etc. Nothing can be fully understood on its own, only as part of its duality.

This completes Part 11 of my series on Ajijic's wonderful murals. I hope you 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 can respond in a timely fashionl

Hasta luego, Jim

The Murals of Ajijic Part 10 of 12: 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 between the Carretera and 5 de Mayo that contains a human image. All the rest include various animals (some mythical) or abstract images.

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 very similar to this one 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 canines and small European dogs brought to the New World by the Spanish. Pre-hispanic dogs first arrived from Siberia 10,000 years ago. The DNA of modern chihuahuas contains about 4% of the genetic material from those ancient dogs. The pre-hispanic people raised dogs as both pets and for food. The Mexica revered a dog-god called Xoloti or Xolotl whose purpose was to guide the sun through the underworld during the night and was considered to be 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 its face 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 images contain 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 of 12: 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