Guatemala is so full of color. We have seen so many beautiful artworks and murals painted on the sides of buildings and walls during our trip. Young Mayan artists usually paint these murals, and they use vibrant colors to translate emotions and preserve Mayan culture.

Symbolize Culture and Religion

Murals have been a part of the Mayan religion for thousands of years. The Mayans use murals in wall carvings, called hieroglyphs. Many sculptures and religious paintings draw on the murals to represent their culture to tell stories about their long-lived history. Over the years, murals continue to serve an important role in spreading messages in Guatemalan culture.

To Protect Mother Earth

To protect Mother Earth and prevent damage to the environment, many artists create murals representing spirituality and thriving greenscape in the villages. Because Guatemala is one of the largest agricultural fruit and vegetable production centers, people want to protect plant life and the green community.

Therefore, many murals depict mother nature’s images protecting the plant life and animals that grow across the country. They often include vivid fruits and vegetables that have spiritual meaning behind them. These ads often create an identity for the Guatemalan Mayan people and help spread awareness of keeping the community clean.

Educate The Youth 

Many of the mural ads by young Mayans are there to spread messages to the youth. Usually, to prevent violence in Guatemala. Because much of the country is in poverty, its government supports mural ads to deter the youth from crime. Painting murals is a rewarding way to help the Guatemalan society and their youth stay artistically educated. The murals tell stories about Guatemalan culture and history through a hands-on experience.

Advertisements For Textiles and Agricultural Sales Among Tourists And Vendors

The most common type of murals seen in Guatemala is store signs and advertisements. A lot of Guatemala’s flora has commercially valuable fruits and vegetables. These flourish well because of the volcanic soil that has a lot of nutrients throughout the country. Because Guatemala serves as a center for produce, people love placing mural ads on buildings across the country.

Guatemala is also known to be a center for textile and embroidery, with many mural ads of famous brands and crafts. Their intricate patterns that the women create on the textiles are often painted largely on the mural ads. Even the trucks have beautifully painted food murals on them in the form of hieroglyphs. There are often colorful mural ads that have the business name largely painted on the walls.

It truly is hard not to notice these murals when visiting Guatemala.