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San Miguel de Allende

A Gallery of Her Own

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Galería San Francisco, and a Creative Community Built Around Women Artists

By Susan Santiago—

I opened Galería San Francisco in January 2016, fulfilling a long-held dream of creating a space devoted not only to exhibiting art but to nurturing creativity and community. My first location was in a historic building on Calle San Francisco—charming and full of character. However, as the gallery grew over the next four years, its limitations became increasingly clear. City regulations prohibited exterior signage, which made visibility difficult, and being on the second floor meant many potential visitors simply could not find us. For older adults especially, the stairs were a significant obstacle.

Recognizing that accessibility would be essential to the gallery’s future, I began searching for a more suitable space. When I visited Fábrica La Aurora, I immediately felt it was where we belonged. I was fortunate to secure a lease on two rooms with a patio, and the owner was specifically seeking tenants who offered public classes—perfectly aligned with my vision for Galería San Francisco.

Over the following year, the owner generously approved the conversion of a two-car garage adjacent to the gallery into a classroom. This expansion allowed us to broaden our programming and eventually relocate entirely from Calle San Francisco to Fábrica La Aurora. Today, the gallery functions as both an exhibition space and a creative hub. We offer year-round classes in watercolor, sketching, mixed media, collage, and acrylics, taught by accomplished working artists with many years of teaching experience. Beginners and advanced students alike are welcome, and the atmosphere is intentionally warm and supportive. The mix of local residents, expatriates, and international visitors creates a lively environment where people connect through art and often form lasting friendships.

Over time, Galería San Francisco has become known as a place where art is not only displayed but experienced. Visitors can observe artists at work, participate in classes, or attend workshops and exhibitions throughout the year. We have received awards and glowing reviews on TripAdvisor, where we are frequently described as a “must-visit” destination in San Miguel. What means the most to me, however, is hearing from students who discover creativity they never knew they had, or from travelers who say their time at the gallery became one of the highlights of their visit.

My own journey in the art world has been deeply influenced by my late friend Bob Geno, who owned Orlando Gallery in the Los Angeles area for more than 50 years. Bob gave many artists their first opportunity—including me—and I will always be grateful for his belief in my work. Through his gallery, I met other artists, exchanged ideas, and experienced the camaraderie of a true creative community. He was an avid collector and a true lover of art, and he will always remain close to my heart.

As my retirement from teaching approached, I began to dream about opening my own gallery in San Miguel. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life around creative people who were open-minded and interested in ideas. Transitioning from being an art teacher to running a gallery was a true baptism of fire, but now that Galería San Francisco has been open for almost 11 years I have a lot more confidence in how to run a business, but I also know there is always something new to learn. My vision for the gallery was to showcase artists working in a variety of styles and recently I have committed to representing only the work of women artists. I also wanted to offer a variety of classes to the community and visitors to San Miguel. I believe having experienced educators and practicing artists teaching classes creates a more vibrant learning environment.

Focusing on women artists has become an especially meaningful part of the gallery’s identity. Throughout my years in the art world, I saw how often women’s work was overlooked or undervalued. By dedicating the gallery to their work, I hope to provide a platform where their voices and perspectives can be seen and appreciated. The artists we represent range from emerging talents to established professionals, working across many styles and mediums, yet united by originality and a strong personal vision. The sense of mutual support among them is one of the things that makes the gallery feel less like a business and more like a community.

Education remains at the heart of everything we do. Our classes are not only about technique but about encouraging confidence, curiosity, and personal expression. Many students return year after year, and some eventually go on to exhibit their own work, which is incredibly rewarding to witness.

Looking back, the evolution of Galería San Francisco has taught me the importance of adaptability, resilience, and community. What began as a dream in a hard-to-find upstairs space has grown into a thriving gallery and learning center that contributes to the cultural life of San Miguel. I feel deeply grateful to spend my days surrounded by art, by creative people, and by the knowledge that the gallery continues to inspire others to explore and express their own creativity.

San Miguel de Allende

Kate Van Doren’s latest exhibition opens in Querétaro

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By Ann Marie Jackson—

Join Kate Van Doren and many of the women featured in The Healing Words Project on Friday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the Museum of Art in Querétaro (MAQRO) for the opening of a three-room solo exhibition that is less about a single artist and more about collective voice. The Healing Words Project is a living body of work composed of hundreds of women’s and gender-expansive people’s stories of survival, displacement, grief, resistance, and healing—expressed through painting, photography, drawing, and video. The exhibition will run from March 6 through June 6, 2026.

Created by artist and registered art therapist Kate Van Doren, The Healing Words Project centers self-authored narratives. Each participant contributes her own words—often a mantra, prayer, or declaration—which are written directly onto the body and documented through portraiture. These images then become the foundation for artworks that reflect both the individual and the shared human experience. The words are not decorative; they are the work itself.

At its heart, the project asks a quiet but radical question: What happens when women are believed? And further—what becomes possible when their stories are not edited, interpreted, or extracted, but honored exactly as they are offered?

The exhibition in Querétaro arrives at a moment of global reckoning. Across Mexico and beyond, conversations around gender-based violence, migration, displacement, and collective trauma are increasingly urgent. Many of the women represented in the exhibition are refugees, activists, mothers, artists, and survivors—some forced to leave their homelands, others navigating systems that have long silenced them. Rather than framing these stories through victimhood, The Healing Words Project centers agency. The women are not subjects of the artwork; they are collaborators and co-authors. Learn more at healingwordsproject.com.

Van Doren describes her approach as empathic realism—a socially engaged form of realism rooted in ethical collaboration and deep listening. Her paintings are technically precise, yet emotionally porous. They do not dramatize suffering or offer easy narratives of redemption. Instead, they hold space for complexity: grief alongside strength, anger alongside tenderness, vulnerability alongside power. Each portrait is an act of witnessing rather than interpretation.

The exhibition unfolds across three rooms, inviting viewers into an immersive encounter with these voices. Moving through the space, visitors are met not by spectacle, but by presence. The cumulative effect is intimate and expansive at once—each individual story standing on its own, while also contributing to a collective chorus. The repetition of words, faces, and gestures becomes a form of visual testimony.

Importantly, The Healing Words Project is grounded in reciprocity. For many participants —particularly those impacted by war, displacement, or economic instability—the project extends beyond visibility. Mutual aid, commissions, and shared resources are integral to the work. Art, here, is not symbolic; it is practical. It creates connection, sustains relationships, and, in some cases, directly supports families and communities.

Querétaro’s role as host city is significant. With its deep cultural history and contemporary art scene, the city provides a powerful setting for an exhibition rooted in remembrance, resilience, and forward movement. Opening during International Women’s Month, the show invites reflection not only on women’s experiences, but on how healing operates collectively—how it moves between people, generations, and places.

“When one voice heals, it echoes,” Van Doren says. The phrase functions less as a slogan than as a lived truth. In witnessing the healing of another, something shifts internally. The exhibition does not promise resolution or closure. Instead, it offers permission: to feel, to listen, to recognize one’s own story in the presence of another.

The Healing Words Project ultimately reminds us that art does not have to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, its greatest strength lies in its ability to listen—and in doing so, to create space for collective care in uncertain times.

I have had the honor of bearing witness to the power of The Healing Words Project over the last several years. For so many of us, nothing is more healing and empowering than finding our voice and sharing our truth.

You can find Kate’s work at http://www.katevandoren.com @catvandoren on instagram.

Ann Marie Jackson is a book editor and the award-winning author of The Broken Hummingbird. Jackson is also co-founder of the women’s microlending organization Mano Amiga and a longstanding board member of Casita Linda, which builds homes for families living in extreme poverty in central Mexico.

Huatulco

FOUR ACES: By carving shadows, stars are recovered.

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By José Palacios y Román—

Facing a blank sheet of paper, a canvas, metal, or stone to paint or sculpt is always a challenge. For millennia, humankind has expressed its experiences through diverse materials—some ephemeral, others that still endure in museums. It is about leaving traces and memories of the passage of time.

Before the Renaissance, various human groups chose to destroy their precious objects in order to renew them. This was the case prior to the European invasion of Mesoamerica, where every 52 years a new count of time began and life was renewed.
With this in mind, Copalli Art Gallery, in its commitment to supporting and promoting new local talent, presents an exhibition featuring four promising artists. Three of them belong to the millennial generation and share the distinction of being natives of the Oaxacan coast. We are excited to present them and wish them a long and fruitful career in the arts.

They are:
Abisai GUMAG (Pochutla, 2002)
Life is a constant search that he unravels on the canvas. Every path Abisai has taken leads him back to painting: working as a sign painter, decorating mezcal bottles, photographing the sea, creating custom graphic design, and cooking—all to earn a living and be able to paint. He never begins with a preconceived idea. Instead, he observes the canvas, allowing stored emotions to emerge. From one stroke to the next, there is no turning back. He moves to the rhythm of life, absent from ordinary existence in order to create.

Javi VASHER (Bahías de Huatulco, 1999)
He has found his language in water, color, and emotion. Having grown up, lived, and loved Huatulco his entire life, he holds a degree in International Trade and Customs. Through art, he discovered form and expression by portraying both the delicacy and strength of the feminine. His work combines geometry and detail, balance and fluidity, reflecting a deep connection with nature. In each stroke, the flow of water on paper becomes a metaphor for life: unpredictable, luminous, and constantly transforming. He is devoted to watercolor.

Heriberto HERGON (Santa María, Huatulco, 1990)
His connection to nature gives meaning to his art. His life has unfolded entirely in the region. From early childhood, he became an artisan, creating unique and beautiful pieces from seeds, gourds, and wood. This practice bordered on painting and led him to develop skills through drawing and painting workshops. Detail-oriented and meticulous, with a steady hand and enormous patience, he has forged his own path without grand ambitions, simply reflecting his tranquil and transparent spirit through his canvases.

Alex TAPIA (Mexico City)
His art serves as a bridge between tradition and spiritual exploration. He settled in Pinotepa Nacional and has lived in Huatulco for thirty years. A master of martial arts, discipline flows through him as deeply as painting. Guided by mentors, he has developed his own visual language to express his worldview. His oil paintings capture serenity and beauty in the simple and the everyday.

Welcome.
This group exhibition reflects Copalli Art Gallery’s commitment to offering this magnificent space to emerging artists from the coastal region of Oaxaca.

The opening will take place on February 20, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Tangolunda, Huatulco. Wine, snacks, and live music will be served. Admission is free.
Follow us on social media: http://www.instagram.com/copalliartgallery

Huatulco

Pulse of Life in Polychromy: Abdías García

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By José Palacios y Román—

In every corner of Oaxaca State, we find characters who, in their fullness, weave their stories onto canvases imbued with sweet colors and ancestral references. The earthly force of ancestral roots, and connections with influences from other cultures, African, Eastern, and European, that impact our culture give us a unique cosmogonic vision that is manifested in art.

Creators express this wealth of emotions and feelings through the art of painting to remember our primordial origin: that of the tlacuilos who translated philosophy, thoughts, and history into aesthetic language in pre-Hispanic codices.

Painter Abdías García Gabriel was born on a ranch called El Paraíso, near Santa María Huatulco. The exuberant tropical aroma overcomes the daily limitations of coexistence and austerity, a lesson for life. Since childhood, he has drawn on paper and also with his imagination. This is where his dedication to painting begins, with effort, dedication, and determination.

First a path, then a trail, and finally the path to academic training at a university in the fine arts. Abdías studied drawing, various techniques, and painting. Discipline and determination have earned him recognition as an artist.

His other source of inspiration has been teaching: teaching in order to learn. He has been teaching classes since 2005 to children, youth, and adults. This activity relieves his students, who release frustrations by expressing their emotions.

Abdías is consistent with his journey in pictorial art, having found his own language and style, one that goes beyond joy, pleasure, and aesthetic enjoyment: these are creations that have filtered through his veins, sensitivity, and good taste.In front of his canvases, he provokes, recreates, nourishes, and encourages the spaces where his work is found.

I invite you to collect works by this artist who inspires taste and enjoyment with art as a creation and expression of the tropics in the Mexican Pacific the Oaxaca coast.

The opening of the exhibition will be on January 23, 2026 at 06.00 pm. Abdias will be presenting his most recent artwork “Nocturnal Dreams”, with music and wine. Entrance is free.

Huatulco

Oaxaca Avanza: How Art, Youth, and Community are Transforming Huatulco

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By Bianca Corona—

In Huatulco, a place known for its natural beauty and strong sense of community, a group of young locals is quietly, but now very visibly, reshaping what collective action and true sense of community can look like in a small town like this. Oaxaca Avanza is a civil association formed by young people from Huatulco with a shared goal: to build alliances, create access to tools and strategies, and actively contribute to making their municipality and Oaxaca state as a whole, a better place for everyone to live in, enjoy, and prosper.

Their official public launch came to life through a project that blended art, urban renewal, and community involvement: the Corredor Mural, a once neglected pedestrian walkway located near a school close to La Crucecita, now reborn as a vibrant, colorful, and meaningful public space.

From a Forgotten Space to a Living Corridor
The inauguration of Oaxaca Avanza and the Corredor Mural was a celebration filled with energy, creativity, and gratitude. Behind that moment, however, were months of planning and a full week of intense community work. Artists, neighbors, musicians, vendors, and volunteers came together to transform a space that had long been associated with neglect, insecurity, and disuse.

What was once a grey, deteriorated corridor is now a place filled with color, intention, and life. It’s now transformed into a space where people feel invited to walk, gather, and connect directly to Huatulco’s culture, through art.

The decision to start with this corridor was deeply intentional. Oaxaca Avanza’s newly opened office is located at one end of the space, and for the team, the daily reality of seeing the area’s challenges became a call to action. The corridor borders a kindergarten, children’s play areas, and residential homes, yet had become a site for trash accumulation, vandalism, and unsafe activity.

Rather than approaching the problem through exclusion or enforcement, the group chose a different path and use artistic expression as a tool for transformation.

Art as a Collective Act
The Corredor Mural was conceived as an inclusive, collaborative project. Led artistically by renowned Oaxacan muralist Irving Cano, the initiative brought together mostly Huatulco-based artists, along with a small number from other parts of Oaxaca. Each artist worked within a shared theme, Huatulco and the Coast, while maintaining complete creative freedom within their assigned space.

The murals collectively tell a story: from marine life and coastal landscapes to human presence and local identity. Each piece reflects a personal vision of Huatulco, shaped by the artist’s own experience of growing up, living, or creating in the region.

Importantly, no artist was paid. Every participant joined voluntarily, contributing their time and talent from the heart. In return, artists were given visibility, a public platform for their work, and the opportunity to exhibit and sell their art during the week-long activation of the corridor.

Seven Days of Community in Motion
For seven consecutive days, the corridor became a living cultural space. Visitors were invited not only to see the finished murals, but to witness the creative process itself. Watching blank walls evolve day by day into powerful and colorful works of art. To encourage participation, Oaxaca Avanza organized daily pop-up markets, live music, and small community gatherings down the walkway. Local musicians performed voluntarily, artisans set up booths without fees, and food vendors rotated throughout the week, creating a dynamic and ever-changing atmosphere. Each day felt different. Some days drew families and children, others brought students, artists, or athletes. What remained constant was the sense of shared ownership and collective pride. That’s what I’d call, “Orgullo Huatulqueño.”

No Logos, No Branding, Just Purpose
One of the most striking aspects of the project is what isn’t visible on the walls… logos. The entire project was funded through personal resources and outsourced support, deliberately avoiding corporate branding or sponsorship recognition on the murals themselves. For Oaxaca Avanza, this decision was essential. The murals belong to the community, not to any brand, institution, or organization…including their own.

Beyond Art: A Broader Vision for Huatulco
While the Corredor Mural is Oaxaca Avanza’s first official public project, it is far from their first community effort. The group has been active for several years, supporting vulnerable individuals, local initiatives, sports teams, and animal protection efforts. Often executing these outreaches informally and without public visibility.

The formalization of the association and the opening of a physical office mark a new chapter. The long-term goal is to become an authorized donation recipient, allowing individuals, businesses, and institutions to support future projects transparently and at a larger scale.

Looking ahead, Oaxaca Avanza envisions initiatives in culture, sports, animal welfare, public space rehabilitation, and community development, always guided by collaboration rather than politics, and inclusion rather than division.

A Space That Invites Participation
The Corredor Mural is not meant to be a static art installation. It is envisioned as a living space in which one can host markets, performances, bicycle tours, community gatherings, and cultural events. By bringing the corridor back to life, the project adds not only beauty, but also a new point of interest for residents and visitors alike.

It also serves as a reminder that improving quality of life is not limited to infrastructure or policy. Beauty, creativity, and shared spaces play a powerful role in how people experience safety, belonging, and pride in where they live.

An Open Door Forward
At its core, Oaxaca Avanza is an invitation. An invitation to participate, to propose ideas, to collaborate, and to contribute. Whether through time, creativity, resources, or simply presence. As Huatulco continues to grow and evolve, initiatives like this demonstrate what is possible when young people take ownership of their community and choose cooperation over division. The Corredor Mural is just the beginning.

Artist Recognition:
1.- Joel Montes
2.- Alejandra Elizabeth Aguilar Aguiar
3.- Lianne Aranza León Sánchez
4.- Edgar Ares Moscosa Bazar
5.- Marina Valdepeña
6.- Judith Martínez Caballero
7.- Janette Santiago Antonio
8.- María Eugenia Valle
9.- Alma Drew
10.- Diego Uriel González
11.- Odette Carolina Cabrera1
12.- Fernanda Butista
13.- José García López
14.- Yuri Enríquez
15.- Grisel Adriana
16.- Alina Sofía Reboredo Damasco
17.- Ariel Núñez Zabaleta
18.- Corina Lucio Olvera
19.- Alma Montero
20.- Fefo Loya Gartol
21.- Betina
22.- Carlo Sérbulo Alducin
23.- Michelle López García
24.- Roberto Hernández
25.- Julio César García Rodríguez
26.- Fernando
27.- Ángel Ernesto Rivera López
28.- Edwin Fierros
29.- Luis Antonio Ortiz Enríquez
30.- Roberto Domínguez
31.- José Martínez Adolfo
32.- Valois Prieto Alvarado
33.- Carlos Mendoza Salina

Huatulco

Enrique Flores Workshop and Artists of Oaxaca

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By José Palacios y Román—

In the mid-twentieth century, Mexican muralism experienced a turning point. Yet by then, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo had already secured a central place in modern art. Among them, Rufino Tamayo, a native of Oaxaca, stood out not only for his artistic genius but also for his generosity.

In Oaxaca City, Tamayo’s deep commitment to culture lives on in the Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art of Mexico, a carefully curated collection he donated in January 1974. That same year, through the initiative of Roberto Donis, the Rufino Tamayo Workshop of Visual Arts was founded. Tamayo contributed resources to create a space dedicated to the artistic training of young people from rural communities. From its first generation, the workshop became an important reference point for artistic education in Mexico and Latin America. Among those early students was Enrique Flores.

In 1981, Rufino Tamayo and his wife, Olga Tamayo, made another extraordinary gift to the nation: the Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City. Their collection includes works by many of the great masters of twentieth-century art — Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Bacon, Dubuffet, Calder, Warhol, Vasarely, Magritte, and others. Today, the museum is recognized as one of the finest in the world.

This legacy is closely tied to the ongoing vitality of Oaxacan art. Enrique Flores, painter and educator, has built an extensive career that he combines with the work of the Enrique Flores Cultural Center and Workshop, which he has sustained for over thirty years in San Pablo Huitzo, near Oaxaca City. The workshop has become a vital meeting point for the teaching and exchange of artistic techniques — printmaking, stained glass, ceramics, sculpture, and high-quality editions in engraving.

Now, Copalli Art Gallery in Huatulco is honored to present, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Enrique Flores Workshop, a new exhibition featuring recent works by the master. On this occasion, he is joined by ten internationally recognized Oaxacan artists, reflecting the strength and diversity of contemporary art from the region.

The exhibition, “Enrique Flores Workshop and Artists of Oaxaca,” opens on December 21 at 6:30 p.m. and will remain on view until January 18, 2026, at Punta Tangolunda (across from the entrance to the Golf Club). The opening event will feature Chef Eusebio Villalobos and live music.

San Miguel de Allende

The History of Fabrica La Aurora

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Rebecca Desiree C. —

Before becoming the center for creativity and culture known locally as La Aurora Centro de Arte y Diseño, La Aurora was once just a simple textile factory. Originally launched in 1902, Fabrica La Aurora operated as a major producer of fine cotton textiles in San Miguel de Allende.

For about nine decades, the factory would go on to provide a source of livelihood to hundreds of locals, but it would later shut down in 1991 due to declining demands for local fabrics and rising production costs.

For more than a decade following its shutdown, the factory lay abandoned until the descendants of its founders chose to put the property up for sale in the early years of the 21st century. This article will share a bit of the history of Fabrica Aurora and its transformation into one of San Miguel de Allende’s most celebrated centers for art, culture, and creative expression.
A Brief History of Old Fabrica La Aurora
Fabrica La Aurora was one of the largest and most important textile factories in central Mexico. According to local accounts, at its height, the factory employed more than 300 people and was a major player in the thread and textile market in Mexico.

The factory remained in business for most of the 20th century, dominating the textile market in central Mexico, spreading its products to the rest of the country. From the end of the 1970s, however, the factory began to face challenges that eventually lead to its gradual decline and closure. Some of these challenges included increased global textile competition, outdated machinery that struggled to keep up with modern production standards, and the economic instability that struck Mexico during the 1980s. The factory would continue to struggle for one more decade before finally closing down in 1991. While definitive archival records are scarce, local histories attribute the closure in 1991 to rising global competition, out-dated machinery and broader economic pressures in Mexico’s textile sector.

Upon the factory’s closure, most of its infrastructure was left in place, the entire facility abandoned. Things would stay this way until, over a decade later, the decision was made to sell the property. This single decision would go on to set the stage for one of the most creative and inspiring transformations in Mexico’s history.

From Abandoned Textile Factory to Hub of Creativity
In many ways, La Aurora’s transformation into one of the biggest cultural centers in San Miguel came as the result of a shared vision and a willingness to do what it takes to make said vision a reality.

The property was put up for sale in the early 2000s. Having been abandoned for over a decade, its machines corroded and its infrastructure in a clear state of disrepair, the sale was not a highly competitive one. However, this would end up working in favour of a small group of artists, designers, and investors, who shared a similar vision for the site’s revival.

For this group, the goal wasn’t to revive the factory to its glory days or even restore its facilities and infrastructure; it was to inspire. By turning this abandoned, local landmark into a cultural center, the group hoped not just to preserve a piece of San Miguel’s history but also to prove that even broken things can be transformed into something new and beautiful.

In 2004, the factory officially reopened, now under new management. Gone were the days of Fabrica La Aurora, the textile factory. In its place stood La Aurora Centro de Arte y Diseño, a haven dedicated to art, culture, and creativity.

La Aurora’s transformation from an abandoned 20th-century textile factory to the 21st-century creative and cultural powerhouse it is today didn’t happen by chance; it was the result of shared vision, determination, and unwavering belief that art could breathe new life into history.

Behind La Aurora’s transformation stand the bold artists and designers who chose to reimagine what was once a relic of industry into a living canvas of creativity. Notable names here include Christopher Fallon, Mary Rapp, Merry Calderoni, and DeWayne Youts, amongst others. Where most people saw heavily deteriorated infrastructure and machinery that had accumulated over a decade’s worth of rust and decay, these men and women saw the chance to build something extraordinary from the remnants of the past.

La Aurora Today — More Than Just a Renovated Factory
Today, the transformation of La Aurora is an inspiring example of cultural regeneration. In just two decades, the formerly abandoned factory had transformed into a creative sanctuary for artists and designers that houses a collection of art and design studios, galleries, and workshops.

Since its reopening the property has gone through a few renovations to fit its new purpose. Halls and corridors that used to house rows of looms and spinning machines now proudly display galleries and studios showcasing paintings, sculptures, furniture, and handcrafted designs from various artists and designers.

In just two decades, La Aurora had successfully reinvented itself. A quick look at the Cultural Center of Art and Design, La Aurora, today, and you’d be hard-pressed to see that century-old factory that was left unattended for over a decade. Instead, what you’d see is a thriving cultural landscape rich with art, design, and imagination; proof that even once-abandoned things can be given new life and made relevant again.

La Aurora Centro de Arte y Diseño is located just north of San Miguel’s historic center and is open to the public year-round, with regular art walks, exhibitions, and cafés within the old factory walls.

Huatulco

Poker of Queens

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By José Palacios y Román

Any time is a good time to bring together talents. Just as in ancient times, Alexandria gathered wise men in its library; beautiful Athens, thinkers and philosophers; Florence was the cradle of the Italian Renaissance with artists, political scientists, inventors; and so, more recently, Silicon Valley, with technologists and innovators…

In Huatulco, four talented local women who love the art of painting and who have come to paint through different paths will converge to exhibit half a dozen of their most recent works on Friday, November 14th at 6:30 p.m. at the Copalli Art Gallery in the Tangolunda hotel zone. Each one will present their own creative proposal, creating a synergy that fosters recognition, enjoyment, and reflection, sharing their most recent creations with the local population, seasonal residents, and visitors or tourists.

The four female figures resemble each other and join together to share the exhibition title “Poker of Queens,” a symbolic game where, like a Tarot deck, there are hidden messages, subtle intuitions, chance, and the connection to other realities. The conjunction of the painters: Edna Guzmán, Julieta Valadéz, Aranza León, and Alma Drew, each with her own unique style, offers original pieces with the healthy desire to come together and exhibit their paintings, carefully chosen for this art show.

With this first exhibition, the Copally Art Gallery inaugurates the 2025-2026 season of the Weekend Art Show series for three consecutive years. This edition focuses primarily on local artists. This time, the artists are Edna Guzmán, recognized for her extensive career; Julieta Valadéz, from a family of artists and expressive in her painting; Aranza León, trained in academia with great creative force; and Alma Drew, versatile in her proposals and tireless in her pictorial work.

The opening will feature live music by Ilhui LomeVal, a welcome cocktail, and the presence of the four artists for a shared love of art. Poker de Reinas will be on display from November 14th to December 6th, 2025.

Huatulco

Psilocybe mexicana: The Art and Culture of Mushrooms in Oaxaca

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By Michael Garroni

Oaxaca, long celebrated for its vibrant traditions, cuisine, and biodiversity, is also home to one of the richest legacies of mushroom use in the world. Known locally as hongos or setas, mushrooms have been an integral part of Oaxacan culture for centuries, woven into rituals, medicine, and the kitchen alike.
The Sierra Norte and Sierra Mazateca regions are blessed with diverse ecosystems where dozens of edible, medicinal, and even sacred fungi flourish. For the Mazatec people, mushrooms have long held spiritual significance. Their ceremonial use, led by healers known as curanderos or curanderas, traces back to pre-Hispanic times. These ceremonies use mushrooms as a sacred bridge between the natural and spiritual worlds, a tradition still respected and protected in many indigenous communities.

Perhaps the most renowned figure associated with this tradition is María Sabina, a Mazatec curandera from Huautla de Jiménez. Through her ceremonies with sacred mushrooms, she became an international symbol of the deep spiritual knowledge held by indigenous peoples. “There is a world beyond ours, a world that speaks,” she once said, describing the voices she heard through the mushrooms. Though her story is complex—marked by reverence, cultural misunderstanding, and the influx of outsiders—María Sabina’s legacy continues to shape the way the world views Oaxaca’s spiritual relationship with fungi.

Beyond their ceremonial role, mushrooms also play a vital part in Oaxacan cuisine. During the rainy season, markets across the state come alive with baskets of freshly gathered mushrooms: hongos de encino, setas de burro, nanches, and the prized hongo amarillo. Each variety carries unique flavors and is prepared in soups, tamales, or simply sautéed with garlic and chile, showcasing the Oaxacan talent for elevating local ingredients. Alongside these wild mushrooms, Oaxacan cooks also treasure huitlacoche, the dark, earthy fungus that grows on corn. Sometimes called the “Mexican truffle,” it is folded into tamales, sautéed with chile and onion, or stirred into soups, prized for its deep flavor and cultural significance. As one market vendor in Northern Oaxaca explains with pride: “Cada hongo tiene su secreto y su sabor. Aprenderlos es como aprender una lengua antigua”—“Each mushroom has its secret and its flavor. Learning them is like learning an ancient language.”

For many families in rural Oaxaca, mushroom gathering is also a way of life—a seasonal activity that teaches respect for nature and the forests that provide food and medicine. Elders pass down knowledge of which mushrooms are safe to eat, how to harvest them responsibly, and how they can heal the body or nourish the soul. This living heritage is celebrated most vibrantly in Huautla de Jiménez, where the Festival de los Hongos (Mushroom Festival) takes place every July. Visitors gather to taste local mushroom dishes, join guided walks through the lush Mazatec forests, and participate in cultural events that honor the sacred and culinary value of fungi. The festival is both a celebration and an act of preservation—keeping ancestral wisdom alive while inviting respectful dialogue with the wider world.

Today, interest in Oaxaca’s mycological traditions is only growing. Researchers, chefs, and travelers come seeking knowledge from communities that have safeguarded this wisdom for generations.

Carrying this cultural thread into the present, the Huatulco Art Gallery is proud to host Psilocybe mexicana, an art exhibition celebrating the role of mushrooms in Oaxacan society. Opening on November 28th and 29th, 2025, and running for one month, the exhibition gathers a diverse group of artists whose work reflects the spiritual, ecological, and aesthetic dimensions of fungi. Featured artists include Tomás Pineda, Ixrael Montes, José Alberto Canseco, Irving Cano, Michelle Anderst, Manuel Trapiche, Abdias García Gabriel, Chilango en la Baja, Edna Guzmán, Chris Isner, Edwin Fierros, Paola Mar, Horacio Jiron, Miguel Jiménez, José Aquino Azúa, Albert Von Kitsch, Memo Malo, Ernesto Robles, Andrew Osta, Mario Hernández, Benjamín Sánchez, Liann Aranza León, Gustavo Silva, Michael Garroni, Caesar Rodriguez Martínez, Marco Cortes, Clove Guzmán, and Tania Guzmán.

With painting, sculpture, and mixed media works inspired by mushrooms, Psilocybe mexicana extends the conversation beyond the forest and the kitchen, into the realm of contemporary art. It reflects how the cultural legacy of fungi continues to inspire creativity and dialogue in Oaxaca today—linking tradition with innovation, the sacred with the modern, and the local with the global.

In Oaxaca, mushrooms remind us that tradition is alive in every season’s harvest. They are symbols of the profound connection between land, people, and spirit—an inheritance as rich and diverse as the forests themselves, and now also a source of inspiration for art and community in Huatulco.