Mexican Murals - Stars, and Snake, and Cactus by the Airport

For this week's CCC Street-Art Contest I want to submit this mural I found close to the airport. In fact, it is just across from this mural I posted two weeks ago. The wall is part of the metro, the place it emerges from underground. So it may be appropriate to adorn this structure with the image of a snake. - A long, winding creature, slithering out from its burrow... okay, maybe it's just me that sees the analogy to the subway trains.

As you would expect from this barrio (Metro Station Pantitlan, on the corner of Eje 1 Norte and Alberto Santos Dumont), there are people everywhere trying to make a living. This group in front of the mural are waiting for the traffic to come to a stop at the red light, so they can swoop out, wash windshields, sell gum, single cigarettes, and advertise other stuff, before the light switches to green and the flow of traffic commences.

Since these guys are a regular part of the local streetscape, I didn't mind them being in the picture. Especially since the mural is large and impressive enough that they couldn't cover it up even if they wanted. Both the snake and the cactus have a very realistic appearance, and the star-speckled night sky looks simply breathtaking, even in daylight.

One curious detail is the tiny statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe just above the snake's tongue, watching over the vendors. What an ideal spot to pick, under the protection of two important symbols of Mexico! Once again, I couldn't find an artist's tag, but honestly, I didn't even go up close to it. I didn't want to interfere with these professionals interfering with traffic.