Journey Jotters

One of the things I enjoy most about traveling is seeking and admiring murals. Often, they are in the most unexpected of locations, a burst of color that catches the eye. They make you want to stop and stare, smack in the middle of a busy street! What inspired the artist to create the mural? What life experiences did she or he have that led them to create this? How many days did it take them to make it? Did they have help doing it? What medium did they use?

Murals are so much more than just an artist’s creation. They speak volumes to those willing to listen. Each has its own persona, and evokes a different set of emotions. A mural can be in the middle of a busy downtown or along the walls of a laidback neighborhood. Murals welcome visitors and bid them goodbye. Murals are bright and vibrant, dark and edgy, stunning at times, and mediocre at others. Murals are messages of pain, love, passion, courage and compassion. They speak of the vibrancy of the world we live in and of our life itself.

One thing I like about murals is that they are not written into the itinerary for the day, except in certain cities. But over the years, I have learned that one doesn’t have to. On this trip, we came across several on our food tour in Mexico City. The numerous murals dedicated to bulls at Tequisquiapan were a pure joy to view. The colorful murals, along the hillside steps leading down from the El Pipila monument in Guanajuato, just gladdened my heart. They merged so well with the pastel colors of the homes, the grey stone steps, and the blue sky above. None of these were planned but all of them were very welcome!

I am sharing here some of the murals that captured my attention, bringing to life the magic and mystery of Mexico.

Hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as we enjoyed finding them!