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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
