Street Art In Merida

Published by Cassie on 21/06/201821/06/2018

Street art in Merida may not have the same reputation as street art in other Mexican cities such as Oaxaca, Monterrey, La Paz, or Mexico City but it’s still Mexico and there is still a lively street-art scene to explore. I highly recommend keeping your eyes open if you’re in town and at all interested in the Mexican tradition of street-art.

What is particularly important to remember is that we are not talking graffiti here, this is most definitely ‘street art’. The difference isn’t only in the quality of what we see but also in how art in shared spaces is perceived.

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A Brief History Of Street Art In Mexico, According To MexicoCassie

I’m no art historian. In fact, I pretty much sulked my way through the art history component of my ‘A Level’ history course. Now, of course, I’m sad that I did this and realise I missed out on an awesome learning experience.

Essentially, as I understand it there are a few important things to know about art in Mexico when considering street art:

1. Mexican art is heavily influenced by both traditional art and European schools of art.
2. Muralism (the creation of murals) is a Mexican movement that began in the 1920s. It took art from the elite and offered it to the people. It was used to reach to an illiterate population in a way pamphlets never could.
3. Public buildings have long been used as canvases for national, social and political messages.
4. The most famous early muralists were: Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siquieros.
5. Muralists started out by painting at the direction of others but quickly grew to represent their own ideas and ideologies. For the most part, this seems to have been accepted by the elite.
6. Today’s urban art is heavily influenced by the muralists and by traditional folk art. It makes it very distinctive.
7. Because of this legacy, art in public places is not seen as something belonging to delinquents or something of which to be ashamed, rather it is created by celebrated artists and treasured by communities.

If you, like me, enjoy learning about a country and its culture through art and literature, why not check out my article about Mexican literature next?

I bought a book called Mexican Muralism: A Critical History, in order to learn more about muralism and Mexican history. It’s fascinating and I highly recommend getting a hold of it if you’re interested in Mexican political art.

Where To Find Murals In Mexico

One of my favourite places to recommend to visitors to Mérida is the Palacio de Gobierno. In fact, any place you visit in Mexico, I recommend heading to the Palacios as they are generally decorated with incredible murals depicting the officially sanctioned history of the region. This, in itself, is fascinating as a form of political and social commentary.

Frey Diego de Landa, Merida Palacio de Gobierno

If you visit Guadalajara or Mexico City, of course the murals are spectacular. In Mexico City, head to the Palacio Nacional to see some of Diego Rivera’s fabulous work and if you’re in Guadalajara, I highly recommend the Museo de Cabañas to see Orozco’s fabulous and terrifying obras de arte.

A section of one of Diego Rivera’s fabulous murals in Mexico City

Orozco ceiling at Cabañas

Even smaller cities and pueblos in Mexico offer incredibly detailed and moving murals.

Tequila Palacio Municipal

Urique, in the Copper Canyon: street art

Chihuahua has some incredible street art too

Street Art in Merida

Anyway, back to Merida: The main mural area in Mérida is Xcalachen in the south of the city. Handily, twice a year there’s also a  Fiesta de Chicharron here, which gave me an excuse to drag my family to the area.

Here are some of my favourite photos from our trips there. I’ve opted not to edit most of the pictures so you can see them as they really are rather than a touched up version.

To see these for yourself, head to Xcalachen in the south of Merida. Why not combine a wander here with a trip to the nearby Cementerio General?

The majority of these photos were taken on Calle 95 between 66 and 62a.

To learn more about Mayan history, check out my article about museums in Merida. 

Booking.com

 There is plenty of street art to be found across the city of Mérida. In fact, the most famous street artist in the city, Datoer, doesn’t have any work down in this area, to the best of my knowledge. You’ll have to look harder for his masterpieces.

The examples of Datoer’s work, below, are all from the pizza restaurant, Pizza Del Perro Negro. Once you’ve seen these pieces, you’ll recognise his work all over the city.

In Oct 2019, there was a free exhibition of some of his work in the Gran Plaza mall.

Datoer’s work

Datoer mural in Motul’s most famous breakfast spot

Did you know that Mérida has a thriving vegan restaurant scene and that plenty of people are working hard to ensure sustainable living in Merida is possible?

If you’re looking for ways to make sightseeing more fun for your kids whilst in Merida, why not use my scavenger hunt plan to grab their attention?