Wall art

From Prehistoric days when cavemen did their wall paintings right up to modern days, man has felt the need to decorate his environment or leave a message for everyone to see. Mexico is no exception. Walls, pavements, cars, garage doors, even trees... just about any part of the urban landscape will do. The artists may not be Diego Riveras or José Clemente Orozcos but some of them are pretty good. Here are some of the works of urban or outdoor art I've seen...

Painting of a Mexican wrestler seen near the Biblioteca Vasconcelos, DF

A colourful wall for a kindergarten, DF

No idea who these people are.... seen on a wall near the Alameda, DF

A fitting mural painted on the wall around the Azteca Stadium, DF

An amusing picture painted on the outside wall of the Sala de Arte Siqueiros, Polanco, DF (it has since disappeared)

Selling newspapers next to an intricately decorated wall, Condesa, DF

A shoeshiner in action by the Palacio de Bellas Artes, DF

A sketch in perspective, seen around a building site, Condesa, DF

A bold, eye-catching design for a shop front, DF

Painting on a small supermarket wall in Akumal, Yucatán

A creative way to "hide" an ugly pipe! Seen in Polanco, DF

Iguana painted on a bus near Xel-Ha, Yucatán

Mural painted on wooden boards put up around the Palacio de Bellas Artes during renovation work, DF

Hand-painted sign on wall at Mazamitla, Jalisco

Christmas painting on outside of the Hard Rock Café in Mexico City

Wall with a message, Polanco, DF

Mural in the Zona Rosa, DF, showing the volcano Popocatépetl

Painting seen on the front of a house, Condesa, DF

Anyone want to go snorkelling? Puerto Morelos, Yucatán

Air-brushed dinosaurs on a VW Beetle, Coyoacán

A tree trunk painted with frogs to match the bench, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Mexican heroes painted on a school wall, Cuajimalpa

Informative painting at the El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary, Michoacán

Funny place to see this mural... in the middle of the countryside, near Soyaniquilpan, Estado de Mexico

Artwork done by a pavement artist for the Day of the Dead, outside the Museo de Arte Nacional, DF

Aztec priestess inspiration for a garage door, DF

Russian motifs on the wall of a café in DF

Doors painted with cactus plants, Zona Rosa, DF

Children's mural on the way to the Basílica de Guadalupe, DF

Wall painting of a jaguar, Teotihuacan Pyramids, near Mexico City

A colourful garage, on the way to the Basílica de Guadalupe, DF

Eye-catching comic strip painted on a shop front, Polanco, DF