Partial view of the hill “Las Palmitas” in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico. An initiave made in co-ordination by the national and local governments changed the face of this small, violent neighbourhood located hundred kilometres from Mexico City, by asking graffiti artists to paint the biggest mural of the country.

AFP/Pachuca, Mexico


Palmitas, a hardscrabble neighbourhood in the Mexican city of Pachuca, used to have a reputation as a battleground where gangs fought deadly turf wars.
But recently the bloodshed on the hillside slum’s narrow streets has fallen dramatically and it has gained a far more welcome kind of attention.
A Mexican artists’ collective called German Crew has painted a giant mural across the shantytown’s houses, working with residents to transform their crumbling walls into a vibrant artwork.
Viewed at a distance, the entire neighbourhood now forms a bright, rainbow-coloured wave that has brought new pride for residents and opened new horizons for local youths.
Viewed up close, the giant mural contains still more mini-murals that interact playfully with the overall design.
The artists repainted some 20,000 sq m of grey walls across more than 200 houses to create what the city government bills as the largest mural in Mexico.
The project was launched in 2012 with the goal of using art to repair the neighbourhood’s tattered social fabric and reduce crime.
Funded by the Mexican government, it cost $310,000 and employed 20 local painters.
“We had to convince residents to let us repaint their houses,” said Ana Estefania Garcia, the head of city planning for Pachuca, a two-hour drive northeast of Mexico City.
“First the neighbourhood was repainted in white, as if to say, ‘We’re starting from scratch.’ That was a shock for them.”
The city meanwhile cleaned the neighbourhood’s streets, removed the rusted-out remains of junked cars and installed new streetlights and eight security cameras.
The sprawling artwork was then painted across this new facade, relaunching the tradition of the Mexican mural, brought to world fame by artists such as Diego Rivera (1886-1957).
City officials credit the project with a dramatic drop in crime.
“Crime has gone down by 35% since the project was launched in 2012,” said Garcia.
“Members of rival gangs worked together on the project. They got to know each other.”
The gangs still exist, but today they “eat, paint and get along,” she said.
“They’re not best friends, but they know they can work together to take care of their community.”
That view is echoed by Roberto Robles, a 36-year-old graffiti artist and member of German Crew.
“Art makes a big difference. Colours change people’s mood. Gray immerses them in monotony,” he said.
“One boy told me that since we painted his house, he feels like going to school more because he’s happier.”
Some are sceptical, however, including the lone resident to resist the mural project.
“The cameras are the main thing that reduced the violence. A thug stays a thug, no matter what colour the walls are,” said Adante Lopez, who initially refused to have his house repainted before finally giving in.
But the mural has not been touched by graffiti or vandalism since its completion.
German Crew is now working on more detailed individual paintings on the walls telling the story of the neighbourhood and its residents.