A massive mural project in Mexico City is transforming some of the poorest neighborhoods 4v3iq

Iztapalapa feels like a city within a city. With close to 2 million residents, it is the most populous borough of Mexico City, Mexico, and also the poorest. Residents often experience water shortages and are exposed to high levels of pollution and crime. But walking down the streets of Iztapalapa feels like visiting a street art exhibition. Pedro Peña, or Mickrone as he likes to be called, is one of 150 artists recruited by the local government to create the murals. “I can’t even how many walls I’ve painted here, but it’s for sure in the hundreds,” he said while giving a walking tour. Pedro Peña, or “Mickrone,” is one of dozens of artists recruited by Iztapalapa local authorities to paint close to 11,000 murals.Tibisay Zea/The World In total, close to 11,000 murals have been created by local artists over five years in Iztapalapa. That’s the largest mural project in the world, according to the local government. The murals are on public buildings, private businesses and homes, even on rooftops — visible from cable cars — and they depict local stories, traditions, characters and neighbors from the area. Mickrone is especially proud of one of his murals, which went viral on social media. It shows two elderly residents and long-time lovers who were frequently seen in the area. The man is guiding his wife in a wheelchair. He explained that many murals portray locals and everyday scenes — like the man who collects the neighborhood’s garbage or the woman who kneads the dough at the bakery. Many murals in Iztapalapa portray local residents and everyday scenes, such as the man collecting garbage for the neighborhood.Courtesy of Iztapalapa Mural Project The Iztapalapa mural project started as a push to improve the lives of women, in an area where femicides remain a big issue. María Antonieta Pérez Orozco, former executive director of the City of Iztapalapa, said the municipal security strategy involved installing hundreds of street lights and deploying police officers, but it also involved embellishing the streets with murals. Many of the murals also convey messages, such as “stop violence” or “If he hits you, he doesn’t love you.” A mural sending a message to women in abusive relationships that reads, “If he hits you, he doesn’t love you.”Courtesy of Iztapalapa Mural Project “At first, people didn’t want murals because they didn’t trust the street artists to do a good job,” Orozco said. But now, people are requesting murals — just like 8-year-old Luciana Daniel recently did. After her parents agreed, Mikrone painted the child wearing an astronaut suit because, as she explained, one of her dreams is to go to the moon. “I can’t believe that’s me in front of my house,” Daniel said, referring to her mural. Eight-year-old Luciana Daniel requested artist Mickrone to paint her in front of her house wearing an astronaut suit, since one of her dreams is to go to the moon.Tibisay Zea/The World Mickrone said that the mural also sends an aspirational message to other girls in the barrio, or neighborhood. Daniel’s mom, Carmen Solís, said the murals have changed the face of the place. “Everything was gray and dull, and now it’s colorful and bright,” Solís said. And also, as a woman, she said she feels safer walking the streets of Iztapalapa. Residents of Iztapalapa say the murals have made the neighborhood colorful and bright.Tibisay Zea/The World Mickrone and his colleagues have now moved to San Juan Tlihuaca, another Mexico City neighborhood, where they hope to conduct a similar intervention. @theworld.org This might be the biggest mural project in the world. Iztapalapa is the most populated district in Mexico City, but it also has a history of femicide and crime. As part of a program to make the neighborhood safer for women, the local government recruited artists to paint murals, in addition to installing hundreds of street lights and deploying police officers. Many of the murals depict inspiring images and messages against violence. They can be found on businesses, homes and rooftops. At first, locals didn’t want the murals, saying they didn’t trust street artists to do a good job. But now, residents are requesting them. Iztapalapa now boasts over 11,000 murals. Eight-year-old Luciana Daniel asked artist Mickrone (@mickrone_mx) for a mural of her as an astronaut, because her dream is to go to space one day. Luciana’s mom said that the murals make everything feel bright and colorful. And as a woman, she says she now feels safer walking down the street. Listen to the full story by The World’s Tibisay Zea at the link in bio Photos and videos by Tibisay Zea for The World @GBH #IztapalapaMurals #StreetArt #WomensRights #Murals #Mickrone ♬ original sound – The World The post A massive mural project in Mexico City is transforming some of the poorest neighborhoods appeared first on The World from PRX. 5y3y9