Murals of La Quinta
Everyone is familiar with the restaurants, shops, clubs and aggressive street vendors of La Quinta Avenida pedestrian walk. If you are lucky you may find some authentic art made right in the Riviera Maya that isn’t of Frida Khalo. In fact, if you walk just a bit north of the center on fifth you will find yourself in one of the most authentic parts of Playa del Carmen.
The Colosio neighborhood (C.T.M. to about 120th Street) has the longest stretch of murals and street art. These paintings range from political, to surreal, to sexy, to downright funny. The only running theme within them all is the fact that they are each beautiful.
The west side (left if walking away from the town center) is where you find most of the murals, and the right side is flanked by a protected jungle area that makes for a relaxing, peaceful and gorgeous stroll.
Some of the art pieces are edited every once in a while so you can expect something new at times. It is also noteworthy that most of the paintings are respected by the few people who like to spray paint their names and the such on any wall space. That’s not to say that graffiti doesn’t exist but that can be subjective. Who’s to draw the fine line between art and vandalism.
This part of 5th Avenue needs these spectacular paintings. The artists like Chikizz Ramone, Senkoe, Mike Makatron, Farid Rueda, Pelado and others give life and color to an otherwise sleepy part of Playa.
Make sure to bring comfortable shoes, your camera, and your sense of “wowism”. You will not be disappointed.
Article and photography by Irv Santana
Irv Santana is a native New Yorker with a PhD in people watching. His degree helps him with freelance writing, photography, stand up comedy and general maintenance work. He lives in Playa del Carmen, México with his girlfriend and one and a half dogs. You can follow him on twitter @Swirv72.