Mexican Murals – Commercial Murals for Small Businesses

Many murals are painted just for fun, to add color and life to an otherwise boring gray wall. Others are highly opinionated, raising awareness of an issue, putting things into perspective, or just express a political opinion. Still others are there for yet another purpose: to make a business more attractive, and convince potential customers to spend their money in that place.

Helping Someone Make a Buck?

Normally I would not touch commercial issues with a ten-foot pole. I try to avoid mentioning recognized brand-names or companies, who already enjoy major advantages for being so huge. No need for the extra advertising. If a business has a mural, however, that puts them in a different category: one where mass production is out of the question in the first place, as each mural has to be painted individually. And even if the company has more than one branch, no two murals would look exactly the same, making them already something unique, and thus worth the mention.

A Rocker-Frog Selling Burgers

Take this picture of a frog with huge glasses, in front of a guitar, a keyboard, and a drum set. When I saw it I instinctively took a picture, not even realizing that it is a hamburger place. My first guess was a music-store, or maybe a place for concerts… until I saw the small horned hamburger, and the sign on the side advertising tasty burgers (and hot-dogs, which go hand in hand around here). I have no idea if the food is all that good, actually, but the sign has done its job. Now I feel like I should at least give it a try. With such a frog above the door, it can only be delicious. The location, by the way, is on the corner of Parque Lira and Gob José Ceballos.

How to Make a Dentist Attractive

Just next door to the hamburger joint is a dentist’s office, with a similarly beautiful image painted on its shutters: a lovely tooth, complete with the tools of the doctor’s trade, neatly arranged in a floral pattern. Now, it takes a bit of an effort to apply the same mind-game here, suggesting that this mural makes me feel the urge to see a dentist, specifically THIS particular dentist, just because of the picture. No, it just doesn’t, no matter how hard I try. However, the image is still pleasant to look at, and if I was a dentist I would definitely have such a mural painted on my door, rather than a plastic tarp most other business opt for.

Back to More Pleasant Things: A God Selling Chocolate

Also in the general area of San Miguel Chapultepec, just around the kitty-corner from the wall with the gods, is a neat little café. It specializes in vegan tamales and craft chocolate prepared in the traditional way, and so quite appropriately, it has an image of Ek Chuak painted on its window shutters, standing in front of a cacao tree. Ek Chuak is a Mayan god responsible for chocolate and commerce, among other things, so he fits the business quite appropriately.

Kindergartens, the Most Popular Murals

So many businesses try to enhance their looks using murals, but the ones that take the cake are kindergartens. Using colorful images from popular children’s cartoons (created by big corporations, nonetheless, though usually painted as “imitations” without going through the proper channels). I’m not sure how these murals work their magic exactly, as it’s normally not the child who decides which kindergarten they want to attend. But I can imagine how the parents’ decision can be swayed if their kid finds a place visually particularly appealing. In any case, it seems to work, as it's the kindergartens who have the most colorful, funny, and silly images drawn on their front facades, and all over their walls.