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