Murals of Mexico
Touring the Caribbean coast with an artist's eye...
I just returned from seven days in Mexico, my first time visiting the country. We landed in Cancun, spent one night and then drove to Playa del Carmen, where we spent the rest of the week, with one day trip by ferry to the island of Cozumel.
The sun and sand were a tonic for my rain-addled winter brain, resetting my senses and fortifying me for the last few weeks of spring before the inevitable and always greatly anticipated onset of warmer weather in Vancouver. Our summers and falls are epic here, but god, the rainy season is a mind killer!
In addition to sprawling by the pool every morning, swimming in the ocean, eating the most amazing fresh foods and walking everywhere with a drink in my hand (Palmar seltzers, 36 pesos, around $3.00 CAD from 7-11… if you know, you know!), one of my favorite things about Mexico was the abundance of public art.
Mural Culture
I had long been aware of Mexico’s thriving culture of street art, stemming from the post-revolutionary mural paintings commissioned by the government after the 1910 Revolution to foster national identity. Those murals often featured workers, indigenous history, and folk heroes of the working class.
It’s another thing to be immersed in it, to see the sheer variety and ubiquity of art on every street corner, outside of shops and restaurants, lining the walls of construction sites and public parks, and adorning new hotel and condo developments.
Every day we tried to explore a little farther from our hotel in Playa del Carmen, which was just off the bustling tourist hub of 5th Avenue, heading as far south as the Cozumel ferry station, and past 54 Calle Norte to the north (about two miles). We also ventured several blocks inland to the east in search of local flavor, which is where we found our favorite taco trucks. I think I’ll miss them most of all!
Everywhere we walked, we encountered bursts of color and mythical narratives in the form of public art, a rich backdrop of visual texture under the radiant Caribbean blue sky.
Artistic Themes
Some of the main themes of the mural art we saw in Playa del Carmen were Mayan history, Mexican folk heroes like Frida Kahlo, and art that celebrates the blending of life and death (sugar skulls, mystical animals, etc.). There is also a collective style called Pinta o Muere that transforms damaged spaces into artistic, colorful murals.
One day by the pool, my friend commented that even the cracks in the walls and the vines snaking down through the trees and around the bars on the patios lining the courtyard seemed like artistic touches. It was as if even the decay of manmade infrastructure had something to convey about beauty, and the way we carve civilization out of nature but are never truly separate from it.
Frida Kahlo
One of Mexico’s most famous cultural icons, Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) was best known for her deeply personal, vibrant self-portraits blending surrealism and realism, and celebrating indigenous Mexican culture. Her paintings explored themes of identity, pain, and post-colonialism, and her face can be seen everywhere in Mexico.
Art at Home
Vancouver has made great strides in embracing public art over the last couple of decades, sponsoring mural festivals and commissioning paintings for new buildings and parking lots. I always stop and photograph my favorites to document them.
I took away a little piece of the art of Mexico in the form of a new tattoo, as did my partner (his first!). Shout out to the artists and designers at Cleopatra Ink who plied us with tequila shots and marked our skin with symbols we’ll carry with us forever.
My Skin is a Canvas
My partner, the Scorpio, chose a beautiful line art depiction of a scorpion to adorn his calf, and I chose a tribal sun (I know, so retro! But that’s how I roll). Now I can carry the sun with me through the rainy months as a constant reminder that my natural state is under its life-giving golden rays.