Las Palmitas, a low-income neighborhood in the town of Pachuca, Mexico, was turned into a massive rainbow mural. A team of artists, supported by the Mexican government, renewed it and brought more colors to the lives of its residents.
A total of 209 homes were turned into a giant canvas for the government-sponsored urban art project.
Above: General view of Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
Above: General view of Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
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© AP Photo / Sofia Jaramillo
Over 450 families and nearly 2,000 people had their homes transformed into a single rainbow mural.
Above: Irving Trejo, of the Germen Crew, paints a section of a mural in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca.
Above: Irving Trejo, of the Germen Crew, paints a section of a mural in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca.
The project was inspired and coordinated by the Germen Crew, a local youth group known for its street art and graffiti projects.
Above: Las Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
Above: Las Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
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© AP Photo / Sofia Jaramillo
Aimed at promoting social integration within the community and changing the negative image of the neighborhood, the project involved artists working hand-in-hand with residents, some of them gang members.
Above: Irving Trejo, of the Germen Crew, picks out a can of orange paint while working on a giant mural in Las Palmitas.
Above: Irving Trejo, of the Germen Crew, picks out a can of orange paint while working on a giant mural in Las Palmitas.
The design was led Germen founder Luis Enrique Gómez Guzmán, better known as Mibe. Before Palmitas, the group had won acclaim for a giant mural on a market in Mexico City. Mibe called the new work a new stage in Mexican muralism.
Above: Partial view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
Above: Partial view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
The crew attempts to "use culture as a tool for the transformation of the social fabric and consolidation of a sense of identity," Mibe was quoted as saying by Epoca.
Above: General view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
Above: General view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
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© AP Photo / Sofia Jaramillo
Seen from afar, the painted houses combine to form a swirly rainbow design reminiscent of wind. The town of Pachuca is nicknamed "la bella airosa" which can be translated from Spanish as "the beautiful breezy city".
Above: Carlos Duarte (right), of the Germen Crew, paints a section of a giant mural in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
Above: Carlos Duarte (right), of the Germen Crew, paints a section of a giant mural in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
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© AP Photo / Sofia Jaramillo
The massive artwork "El Macro Mural Barrio de Palmitas" covers over 20,000 square meters.
Above: Blueprints and photos are displayed in the headquarters of the Germen Crew in Pachuca, Mexico.
Above: Blueprints and photos are displayed in the headquarters of the Germen Crew in Pachuca, Mexico.
The initiative cost $300,000 and was part of a federal government crime and violence prevention program.
Above: Germen Crew artists in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
Above: Germen Crew artists in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
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© AP Photo / Sofia Jaramillo
According to Mibe, the efforts sparked by the mural project have helped pave the way to a new form of peaceful cohabitation.
Above: General view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
Above: General view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
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© AP Photo / Sofia Jaramillo
According to officials, in Las Palmitas the program the mural project was part of resulted in a 79 percent drop in the crime rate, compared to 2012.
Above: Irving Trejo, of the Germen Crew, paints a section of a mural in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
Above: Irving Trejo, of the Germen Crew, paints a section of a mural in the Palmitas neighborhood of Pachuca, Mexico.
The giant mural is also expected to significantly boost tourism to the city.
Above: General view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
Above: General view of the hill Las Palmitas in Pachuca, Hidalgo state, Mexico.
