Boa Mistura: Las Américas

The Spanish urban art group Boa Mistura made a landscape intervention at La Colonia de las Américas, in Mexico, to reinforce the concept of identity in the neighborhood.

La Colonia de las Américas is located on the outskirts of Querétaro (Mexico).

Is a humble community of working people. Lacking but with a special human force on its people. It has basic provisions and a seething inner life of small business: Misceláneas (“Grocery stores”), taquerías, and cantinas.

The colony is located on two sides of a hill, has a Boomerang shape facade looking to the two main highways of the State: The 5 de Febrero road and Bernardo Quintana, which converge exactly at the apex of Las Américas, and it is daily seen by thousands of people.

The project aims to make a landscape intervention that reinforces the concept of Identity in the colony. The Otomi people have been the main source of inspiration. They were the indigenous people rooted there, well known for their wonderful textiles. The colours that dyed the houses stems from their craft. The artists have also been seduced by the prints and psychedelic of the Calacas, the Huichol Art and Alebrijes, which inspired the patterns that many of the neighbours have chosen to wrap their houses.

In the first phase Boa Mistura was able to intervene 30 homes of Las Américas thanks to the neighbours and the incredible help of dozens of volunteers from across the city who joined spontaneously. The dream now is to intervene the 1.074 houses of the whole community.