Huichol art set to break a Guinness Record

The Wixárika indigenous people from the State of Jalisc o are making a mural out of beads . They want to beat the Guinness Record by creating the biggest mosaic, 265 feet long , in the world.

Huichol art set to break a Guinness Record

The indigenous group from the San Sebastián town , in the northern mountain range of Jalisco , is working 14 hours a day to complete the 32 pieces that are part of the colorful mosaic, completely handmade , which weighs around 2 tons.

The Wixaritari , known as the Huicholes , are an indigenous group from Mexico's western region, they mainly live in Jalisco and Nayarit , and are known for their colorful artwork.

Maurilio Rentería Guzmán

told EFE that they have been working on the piece for 7 weeks and that they want to show Mexican folklore and the elegance of their traditional attires , that will be exhibited in the International Mariachi Encounter on August 20.

The artisan explains that the most difficult part was transferring the design to the wooden boards that serve as a base for the pieces as this is the first time they have made a mosaic of these dimensions.

“We had to make some sort of puzzle , and later transfer the lines where they matched. It was a challenge for us. We were thinking a lot before deciding how we could do it and it took us two days to figure it out”, he says.

They decided to use around 897 pounds of beads , bigger than the ones they usually use to decorate their artwork, on the contrary, the piece would have needed over a year and a half of continuous work.

With the help of metal rods, the artisans place the beads one by one, and the beads stay fixed to the wood thanks to the natural wax that they use as glue.

Bead by bead, their hands create orange flowers

, thin lines that create silhouettes , a hat , and a charro suit , a huipil or even a traditional dress and colorful embellishments that spark off the joy of the Huichol culture.

Where the huipiles are born

For the indigenous group, creating this mosaic means an income source for the community's families , and also, the p ossibility of showcasing their art and their culture to the world : “On a national or international level, it's a huge project and it exalts the Wixaritari and the state of Jalisco”.

Carlos Mateos,

the coordinator of special projects of Guadalajara's Chamber of Commerce , the International Mariachi Encounter organizer, told EFE that they want to overthrow the current holder of the world record, the city of New Orleans.

“This year we what we wanted to do was highlight the artisans because they're part of our culture, they represent us around the world”.

The piece will be exhibited during the Mariachi event , which lasts 2 weeks , and then it will be auctioned to raise funds to build a primary school in the indigenous community of Mezquitic, in Jalisco's mountain range.

Once the piece is inspected by the Guinness Record evaluators on August 20, there will be a ceremony where it'll be revealed if their mosaic is now the biggest one in the world.

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