Eat, Paint and Get Along the Mexican Way Agence France-Presse
go to original August 16, 2015

As Al Jazeera's John Holman explains, even gang members are putting down their weapons and picking up paintbrushes. (Al Jazeera English)

Palmitas, a hardscrabble neighborhood 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 neighborhood now forms a bright, rainbow-colored 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 square metres of gray 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.

Read the rest at The Peninsula

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