Jamaica Mexico Friendship Mural brightens Kingston skyline

Touted as a symbol of the long-standing relationship between Mexico and Jamaica, the completed Jamaica Mexico Friendship Mural was unveiled on Wednesday at the Carib Cement Company Packing Plant in Kingston.

The mural, which was commissioned by the Culture Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange through the Jamaica Creative: Paint Up yuh Creative Space Project, was painted by Mexican artist Irving Cano with the assistance of countryman Freddy Ramirez Herrara and Jamaican muralists, Jordan Harrison, Anthony Smith and Yanque Yip.

"It was really a fulfilling experience. This is the biggest project we have worked on so far and we actually learned a lot," Harrison said.

Though the lead artist, Cano, spoke very little English, Yip said communication between them was no problem.

"The language we were using mainly was art. And because we're all artists it was actually not so hard," he said.

Yip continued, "The scale of this work, it opened our eyes and gave us the direct experience that it can be done, not that we doubted ourselves, but the experience made us realise that we're gonna do this."

To commemorate the 55 years of diplomatic relations shared between the two nations, the 49-foot tall mural depicts an Aztec Jaguar warrior presenting his heart to a singing Jamaican woman, highlighting a significant aspect of Mexican history while showcasing Jamaica's natural propensity for music.

Minister Grange said that the idea for this mural was conceived last year during discussions with the Embassy of Mexico in Jamaica.

"It was decided that we should erect a mural to celebrate our long-standing partnerships while simultaneously creating Jamaica's tallest and biggest mural on the walls of silo number 10 located here at Rockfort plant," Grange said.

While not very fluent in English, Cano hailed the Jamaicans who worked on the project as "excellent artists". He also told THE WEEKEND STAR how happy he is to have bolstered this long-standing relationship through his work.

"It was amazing sharing the knowledge, the painting and the mural with the Jamaican people," said Cano.