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McALLEN — If MXLAN is a canvas, it’s been painted this weekend with a color palette of rich traditions, cultures and customs. An exhibition of life in Latin America.
The city of McAllen and McAllen Convention Center kicked off the annual MXLAN festival this weekend for three days of festivities that capture this sentiment through art, music and dance. Oh and of course food.
The festival featured local artists such as Mario Guzman, a 32-year-old artist originally from Veracruz.
Guzman stood at the far right end of the McAllen Convention Center ballroom, spray-painting shades of purple and blue onto a canvas early Friday evening.
Beside him were other artists who had splashes of paint on their clothing and faces as they worked on their own murals — each of them a part of MXLAN’s La Comunidad Art Project.
Guzman, who is participating in MXLAN for his second year, stared at his painting as he began to see each figure taking shape.
This year he was painting a lechuza, or barn owl, along with a jaguar and Slow Poke Rodriguez from Looney Tunes.
Although lechuzas have a rather spooky legend in Mexico, Guzman considers them to be not unlike guardian angels.
“Sometimes I’ll be painting and a lechuza stops and sings to me even if I’m inside my house, I’m at a red light and a lechuza lands on my truck,” Guzman said.
For him, including animals such as the lechuza or a jaguar are important to his art because they represent both him and his culture.
“I’m grateful to the city for the support and hope they continue to support us through more events like this,” Guzman said, adding that MXLAN gives local artists the opportunity to display their work.
He continued to say that art allows one to express themselves in a way that is cathartic while also allowing them to represent their culture through colors, shapes, images and other forms of art.
Gaby Rico shared similar sentiments, adding that art gives one the opportunity to express emotions and thoughts that cannot be put into words.
“Art, at least how I interpret it, it’s simply a language, a way to express yourself,” Rico, 45, said, adding that art brings a sense of comfort. “Sometimes we don’t know how we are feeling or how to communicate how we are feeling and one way to do that is through art.”
For the Edinburg native, it is important to continue to represent one’s culture as the Valley continues to grow and show pride in one’s roots and heritage.
In fact, she hopes to not only use her art as a form of expression but also as a way to teach other generations about important topics.
Throughout this year’s event she will be painting two murals, one that represents both Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley through images of oranges and a woman in traditional Mexican garments, while the other mural depicts the image of a Red Crowned Parrot or Tamaulipan Parrot.
The parrot was an endangered species that migrated to the Valley and has since continued to prosper. The birds found a home in Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco and McAllen
“My idea to include it in my mural is to act as a message for kids and young adults that we need to protect wildlife and be proud that this parrot can be saved from extinction after migrating here,” Rico said.
Although a native of the Valley, Rico explained that she is grateful for her Mexican heritage and is honored to be able to represent both aspects of her life through her art.
“For me, first of all it fills me with pride, it makes me feel proud to say, to know, and think that you are representing (one’s culture) in an event of this size that brings people from various parts of Mexico,” Rico said.
Walking the grounds of the convention center ballroom one could see vendors selling items such as jewelry, traditional Mexican clothing with floral embroidery, candies and food common in Mexico and other items.
The ballroom was decorated with colorful rows of papel picado and umbrellas hanging down creating a very festive environment. Families would place their phones on the ground to take pictures of themselves with the umbrellas above them.
While others stared in awe at the mojiangas or giant puppets that are often about 15 feet tall sitting by the entrance of the ballroom.
Armando Sinfuentes, a 16-year-old student from Vanguard Academy, along with several of his classmates were volunteering at MXLAN and were surprised to find out they would be the ones wearing the puppet.
They practiced holding the puppets prior to the MXLAN Candela Parade where they would be walking down Oval Park.
“I had never heard of this festival … but I think it’s pretty cool seeing all these stores, and everything like these costumes, it’s pretty interesting,” Sinfuentes said. “It’s not heavy but it does get tiring because we have to move them up and down.”
Leticia Barrientos, McAllen, attended the event with her two grandkids who wore colorful masks.
She explained that she enjoys attending the event each year with her grandkids because of all the activities and festivities.
“What they sell, it all comes from different places, it’s not here in the states, it’s out of the states, other nations that we don’t really know … they have different cultures that come here and I think it’s nice, it’s beautiful,” she said.
“I think it’s interesting for us because not too many people travel to Mexico and it’s nice for them to come over here and for them to show us their culture.”
MXLAN festivities will continue throughout the weekend. Tickets can be purchased online at www.universe.com or at the entrance, located at the McAllen Convention Center, at 700 Convention Center Blvd. in McAllen.
