... and it's still there! I remember passing by this building a number of years ago, and I was already excited seeing its painted walls. Though I didn't get to take a picture of it, I decided to come back some time and take a close look, and various pictures of it. And then ... nothing happened, until the entire wall painting and the potential post became forgotten.
Still There, Looking Good
A couple of days ago I happened to venture once again into this neighborhood of Mexico City, which is nowhere close to where I live. It's the Santa María de la Ribera, on the corner of Ave. Insurgentes Norte and the tiny side street called Roble. And to my great surprise, the same mural was still there, covering the entire building. Sure, the colors may have faded a bit, and the occasional tag sprung up on the lower parts. So without wasting another opportunity I stopped and took some pics.
National Union of Indigenous Workers
What ties it all together and makes sense of the mural is the building itself: the office of the national labor union of indigenous workers. Clearly, they have probably commissioned the painting, which was then created by one - or more probably several - of their members. And once it gets really faded, they will most likely renovate it.
The image facing the big avenue combines various native faces, traditional clothes with symbolic patterns, as well as natural landscapes. On the other side facing the small street the imagery is more stylized, with colors and patterns covering the top section, and a Teotihuacán-like sculpture of Quetzalcoatl painted between the two windows. The interesting head gear, by the way, on the two guys on the left side, are as far as I know from Chiapas.
More Murals to See
As always, I like to include my mural-related posts in CCC's Street Art Contest taking place every week. By now it's number 285 and it has become HUGE with numerous street-art fans posting amazing murals in each weekly contest. There are also cool prizes to be won, which I can attest to with much appreciation. Also, I like to add each of my mural posts to my Mexican Murals post collection, which is ever growing. So take a look at it to see many murals, most of which have disappeared by now.