Mexican Murals - A Healing Mermaid under Mexican Skies

The other day I came across this impressive mural. Locate on Calz. Obrero Mundial near Enrique Rébsamen in the Colonia del Valle, it is nowhere close to my neighborhood. Still, I could not pass by this fantastic image without taking a good look, then a picture, and then still one more good look, as I found it quite mesmerizing.

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What Mermaids Probably Look Like

The center figure in the picture is this half-woman-half-fish creature, commonly known as mermaid. But her face is a far cry from the beautiful and enticing image of a young woman. This mermaid has a bald head, wide, fin-like ears, and her eyes have a look of... okay, her eyes are not even that scary. They actually look benevolent. In fact, there is nothing wrong with the way she looks. In a way, she looks more like how I could imagine a real-life mermaid to look like, much rather than Ariel.

Enchanting the Moon With Four Arms

Another thing I find fascinating is the activity this particular mermaid is engaged in, on the surface of the water. Her four arms are in a type of mudra, forming a beacon of some sort. Two triangles, one pointing upward, the other one downward are above two of her palms. With her other two hands she is forming a net of light that also connect to her forehead and most importantly the full moon shining down on her.

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Pre-hispanic Animal Symbols

All around her the night sky features interesting images. They are animals I remember seeing at the National Anthropology Museum, as well as in connection with pre-hispanic art. The rabbit, the spider, the monkey, the jaguar, they all ring a distinct bell, though I am not sure what unites them. Are they maybe star constellations? In any case it seems interesting how all of them point downwards to the water's surface. Or are they in fact pointing upward from the water?

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An Artist on a Healing Mission

This time there remains no doubt about the artist behind this fantastic wall painting. Her name is Dafne, but is known as Dafojo, as the large and prominent social media link says. The information on her page explains how her mission in art is to heal our immediate surroundings with imagery filled with healing symbols. In this mural, though I find it intriguing to say the least, she may have possibly managed to do just that. In any case, I already felt better looking at it.