Mexican Murals - Bird Looms and Naked Dogs [CCC's Street Art Contest #135]

In my post two weeks ago I promised to show you the mural that can be found right around the corner from the wall with the Exotic Patterns... on the corner of Queretaro and Orizaba streets in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. But then I totally forgot, and posted something else (but arguably just as cool). So now I really want to feature the other wall painting, which I believe is just as impressive as the bright flowers on the black background. And of course, this post will also be my entry to this week's CCC's Street Art Contest #135.

Weaving the Sky

The foreground of this bright red wall shows a lady in traditional Mexican dress working at a loom, an image that used to be an everyday sight, back in the day when making textiles was still common. Nowadays you will encounter this in either very remote communities, or among modern urban weavers, who took it upon themselves to learn this ancient skill to keep it from dying out. (Though looking at the painting, I would say it's the first one that applies here.) What's interesting about it, is that the strands of fiber are held up by a flock of birds, serving as the loom. Does this mean she is using the sky to turn into a canvas? Or that the birds are taking her weaving up to higher level?

The Mexican Xoloescuincle Dog

The mural is actually quite long... so much so that it didn't fit on one photo. However, the same design with the beautiful floral pattern continues past a small cafe, and behind the weaving lady we can see a much beloved Mexican icon: the Xoloescuincle. This breed of dog is known for his hairless body. Certain individuals may have an exceptional growth of hair on the tip of their tail, or even a bit on the top of their head, standing up like a Mohawk. They are cute and tend to have a friendly personality, but their naked skin typically stops people from petting them. In Precolombian times they were bread for eating, which makes sense, as the dog is not too big to begin with, and I suppose it's easier to eat the skin if it doesn't have hair on it.

A Young Artists' Collective

Instead of an artist's tag, this mural bears the mark of the Jovenes Artesanos, a collective of young artists and artisans, who dedicate themselves to the preservation of the indigenous knowledge of weaving, making clothes, and embroidery, just like what I mentioned in the beginning. In this article you can even see them posing with their looms right in front of this mural.

For more awesome wall paintings in Mexico, take a look at my Mexican Murals series.