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HERIBERTO MARTÍNEZ PIOQUINTO
PUEBLO MIXE
SANTA MARIA ALOTEPEC MIXE PUEBLO, OAXACA, MEXICO
PAINTER
YOUTH MURAL PROJECT, 2004
I work to reflect
my values in my art
as well as my
Mixe culture from
Alotepec and
other communities
in Oaxaca, Mexico.
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The Native Arts Program has changed the
way I create art. Before this project the people
in my town didn’t recognize me as a painter.
Now the community realizes that through
the Youth Mural Project I was able to show-
case the history of our village. The people
of surrounding communities are pleased
with the mural as well. Perhaps the most
interesting result was that when I began
work on the mural, the local musicians and
municipal authority were in conflict,
but through the painting they united and
worked together for the good of the
community. It was also exciting that only
five months later I was contracted to paint
another mural in the Municipal Palace.
For me, art is important because it forms
part of my being, part of my life, and part of
my people. As a human being I believe that
one day I will go to the beyond. I don’t know
where I will go, but my art will remain.