Tag Archives: art

San Miguel de Allende

Beyond the Surface

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By Darlene Olivia McElroy—

As a working artist, I have always created mixed-media paintings and assemblages. About 10 years ago, I decided to combine the two—and shazam! Dimensional collage became an integral part of my work. Dimensional objects bring that sweet magic of the unexpected to a collage or painting, allowing me to take the narrative further.

At first, I was a hunter-gatherer of found objects—vintage millinery flowers, broken jewelry, and other curiosities. Over time, this process evolved into making my own molds and casting objects. My obsession with materials and dreamlike imagery, and the mindset of a mad artist-scientist have all contributed to capturing what I see as the healing spirit of humanity.

Trained and employed as a painter and illustrator, I have also spent years as a teacher, author, lecturer, and exhibition juror. After living in France, I returned to the United States and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I come from a long line of New Mexico artists and musicians, and both my soul and my work have been deeply shaped by the summers I spent on my family’s ranch there. In Santa Fe, the rich tapestry of Hispanic life filled my days and nights with color, texture, and story. My paternal grandfather, an artist on Santa Catalina Island, also played an important role in shaping my path, introducing me early on to art as both a lifestyle and a narrative language.

During this time, I leaned into my natural curiosity and the pure joy of exploring what paint can do. I have written five art technique books for North Light Books (now Penguin Random House), which have been translated into Spanish, French, Chinese, and other languages. These books explore a range of methods, including image transfers, surface techniques, alternative surfaces, and mixed-media clay. They are designed as resources for both working artists and teachers.

I continue to explore new materials, surfaces, and techniques, sharing what I learn online and through my monthly classes at Galeria San Francisco, located in the Fábrica La Aurora in San Miguel de Allende.

San Miguel first drew me into its creative orbit over 40 years ago. Being invited to show my work at Galeria San Francisco—and finding so many longtime Santa Fe friends living here—made the decision easy. I now live here full-time with my supportive husband, a crazy cat, and two slightly neurotic dogs.

My paintings are represented in galleries in the United States and Mexico and are held in corporate, civic, and educational institutions, as well as private collections around the world.

I invite you to visit Galeria San Francisco to see more of my work, or explore online at DarleneOliviaMcElroy.com

 

Huatulco

Entre Mar y Vida (Between Sea and Life)

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By José Palacios y Román—

In Bahías de Huatulco—where the changing light, the sea, and the surrounding mountains shape daily life—art often grows from the landscape itself. A group of local women artists has come together to explore that connection through color, memory, and shared experience.

On April 2, 2026, Copalli Art Gallery will present the exhibition Entre Mar y Vida (Between Sea and Life) by the Huatulco women’s collective La Magia del Color (The Magic of Color), a group of creators who live and work in this region of Oaxaca.

The mission of Copalli Art Gallery is to promote visual art and to open its doors to emerging local artists, making it a natural home for this exhibition.

La Magia del Color was formed out of a desire to create spaces for local art and artistic collaboration. This group exhibition seeks to strengthen the presence of women in the local artistic landscape while creating opportunities for connection between artists and the community. The collective is composed of: Ale Salazar, Alma Drew, Aranza León, Diana Laura Vargas Chávez, Grisel Hernández, Janette Santiago, Judith Martínez Caballero, Maru Ibarra, Aline Sofía Zúñiga Cárdenas, Marilú Gómez Bernal, Mariela Esmenjaud, and Mirna Liliana Muñiz Campos.

Each artist brings sensitivity, talent, and new perspectives to the cultural life of Huatulco. They offer a unique perspective: some were born in Huatulco, while others arrived drawn by the beauty and energy of the region. All share a deep bond with the natural and cultural surroundings that shape their lives.

The works of these artists explore a variety of techniques and visual languages, from painting and mixed media to contemporary works inspired by the sea, tropical vegetation, Mexican traditions, and the daily life of the region. This diversity reflects the spirit of the group’s name, La Magia del Color—a celebration of artistic freedom and the expressive power of color.

Guided by the belief that art connects people, stories, and emotions, this exhibition invites an encounter between artists and the community. Its goal is to build new audiences and contribute to the cultural life of the region.

In a place where the sea and land constantly shape the rhythms of life, Entre Mar y Vida captures that relationship. Through color, texture, and personal perspective, these artists invite viewers to see Huatulco—and the creative energy of its community—through their eyes.

Event Details
Opening: Thursday, April 2, 2026 – 6:00 PM
Copalli Art Gallery
On view through: April 30, 2026
Hours: Open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Admission: Free and open to the public. All are welcome.

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

The Emperor’s Ghost in the Mural: The French Connection to Mexican Muralism

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By Randy Jackson—

On June 19, 1867, on a hill outside Querétaro called the Hill of the Bells, Emperor Maximilian, appointed by Napoleon III to rule a country that had never wanted him, faced a firing squad. His execution reverberated through Mexican and European history. Yet how that moment was understood was shaped not by those who witnessed it, but by those who painted it. In Europe, that response was immediate. In Mexico, it would take decades, passing through a classroom, before it found its voice on the great public walls of the Revolution.

In Paris, Édouard Manet’s series of paintings on the execution, collectively known as The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, demonstrated the power of art to shape historical memory. Painted from written accounts, they portrayed the event as a condemnation of Napoleon III’s imperial folly and were subsequently banned. In Mexico, the effects were slower and paradoxical. The execution did not silence Maximilian’s court painter; it freed him to walk into a classroom and change the course of Mexican art.
When Maximilian’s court collapsed, his retinue fled to the coast. One man, however, walked in the opposite direction, not toward a ship, but toward a classroom in the Mexican National Academy of Fine Arts.

Santiago Rebull
That man was Santiago Rebull, the official court painter to Emperor Maximilian, appointed to use art as an instrument of imperial legitimacy, to make a foreign emperor look like he belonged.

Rebull was born in 1829 to a Catalan father and a Mexican mother. His talent was recognized early. He won first place at the Academy of San Carlos in 1851 with his painting La Muerte de Abel. That victory earned him a scholarship to study in Rome, where he spent seven years, and what he learned there would shape Mexican art, passing through his hands to the students who would later paint the Revolution.

In Rome, at a Catholic arts school, he learned the techniques and principles of the Nazarene Movement. The Nazarenes believed art should serve a moral or religious purpose, and their major project was to revive the medieval art of fresco painting. It was a tradition built for walls, designed to tell stories to anyone who stood before them.

Rebull returned to Mexico in 1859 and, within two years, had risen to Director of the Academy of San Carlos. In 1865, he painted the official portrait of Emperor Maximilian – Retrato de Maximiliano. The Emperor was so pleased that he appointed Rebull as court painter and awarded him the Order of Guadalupe, the Empire’s highest honour.

Within two years, the firing squad on the Hill of the Bells ended that empire. Rebull returned to the classroom carrying everything Europe — and the Empire — had taught him.

The Protégé: Rivera at San Carlos
Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato in 1886, nineteen years after the firing squad on the Hill of the Bells. When he arrived at the National Academy of Fine Arts at San Carlos as a student at the age of ten, Santiago Rebull was still teaching there.

As director of the Academy and as an instructor who took personal interest in the young Rivera’s progress, Rebull brought his influence to bear beyond technique. He transmitted the Nazarene conviction that scale gave art its purpose. Frescoes were consequential, not just because of their size, but because their ambitions were monumental. Art was meant to instruct, to elevate, to speak to anyone who stood before it. Not for palace staterooms, but for the public walls.

As important as Rebull was to the painting style Rivera came to create, there were two other notable instructors at the Fine Arts Academy of San Carlos.

Félix Parra was a trailblazer in depicting Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past with the dignity usually reserved for emperors. Parra’s painting, Episodes of the Conquest, depicted the brutality of the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. For a young Rivera, it was likely the first time he saw Mexican history treated as something proud and worthy of monumental art.

The other notable instructor was José María Velasco, arguably the greatest landscape painter in Mexican history. With paintings like The Valley of Mexico from the Hill of Santa Isabel, Velasco taught Rivera how to organize a massive, sprawling horizon into a coherent, balanced composition. It was a skill that would serve Rivera well when his canvas became walls and mountains and valleys were replaced by the epic history of Mexico.

By the time Rivera left the Academy at the age of twenty, he had spent half his life under the tutelage of these old masters. He had become a formidable talent recognized by these men, significant artists in their own right. Rebull famously remarked of his student: “He draws as well as I do, and he has a better sense of colour.”
But his education was not finished. Like Rebull before him, Rivera left for Europe on a Mexican government scholarship, spending years in Spain, France and Italy. What he found there, the Cubists of Paris, the great fresco cycles of the Italian Renaissance, only deepened what Rebull had taught him.

The art that would come to define Mexican national identity, defiant, indigenous, and revolutionary, returned home with Diego Rivera. Mexico gained something unexpected from the defeat of the French-appointed emperor. Hidden in plain sight on those great public walls, in the very conviction that art belonged to the people who stood before it, was the ghost of a court painter who had once made a foreign emperor look like he belonged.

Randy Jackson blends local reporting from the perspective of a seasonal Huatulco resident with explorations of life and change in Huatulco, Oaxaca and Mexico.

Huatulco

Osta, Artist of the World (Borders are Lines on a Map)

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By José Palacios y Román

Andrew Osta is an artist of the world. Speaking Slavic languages like Ukrainian and Russian, and having to learn English as a third language to pursue a university degree in Canada, Andrew went on to teach English in South Korea. Here he learned to speak basic Korean and write its characters. As he began painting, destiny brought both challenges and opportunities such as delving into shamanism in Peru and later settling in Mexico to master Latin American Spanish. When Osta returned from Peru after experiencing medicine journeys with ayahuasca, he continued painting and was invited by the master Pablo Amaringo for an exhibition. It was this experience that marked a turning point and a milestone in his career.

The following year, he decided to settle in the picturesque and attractive town of San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato. He was struck by the neo-Gothic church of San Miguel Arcángel, which Osta has painted countless times. This parish is the city’s main symbol and a quintessential example of pink quarry stone and twin towers in Mexico. San Miguel de Allende welcomed Osta; he makes friends easily despite being introverted, and the art market has supported him in being a full-time artist. Osta frequently exhibits his work in San Miguel de Allende, where galleries and exhibition centers showcase his art. His presence is appreciated, recognized, and met with great affection.

Osta enjoys traveling to Oaxaca City, and from there to the San José del Pacífico area, where he has his spiritual brothers and sisters. He has spent many days in Huatulco recreating the beaches of this destination for over a decade.

In the Tangolunda hotel zone, at the Copalli Art Gallery, Andrew Osta held his first solo exhibition on January 12, 2024, featuring some twenty works in both large and small formats, which were enjoyed by the public. Several pieces have been purchased by Huatulco residents and now hang on their walls. Since then, Osta has been an exclusive artist with Copalli, and the gallery has exhibited his paintings for sale in boutique hotels and various exhibitions in the region.

Osta lives in a beautiful home at the foot of Cerro de San Felipe, very close to the city of Oaxaca. He frequently visits Huatulco because he loves the sun, the sea, and the surrounding nature, which inspire him to continue painting. It continues to be a true pleasure to spend time with his family: his ever-smiling wife, Ninfa, and their two children, Nicolas (Niko) and Elenita, who inherited his creativity and sweet nature.

Andrew Osta’s work is on permanent display at Copalli Art Gallery, open daily from 10 am to 7 pm. Of note, his work is also featured in San Miguel de Allende, where, through synergy, we are building bridges of understanding and creation thanks to the successful initiatives of Jane Bauer and the expansion of The Eye magazine.

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