Mexican Murals - The Turtle Center in Mazunte

After two years I'm back in Mazunte, and I'm glad to see there are new murals. Some of the ones I posted about last time are gone, making me glad that I got to preserve them in the blockchain. At the same time, I'm quite enthusiastic to continue my Mexican Mural series with these fresh new images. So let's start with the most impressive one, on the wall of the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga.

The Turtle Center

Some may claim the Mexican Center for Sea Turtles to be the heart of Mazunte, and they are not completely wrong, as this town has always revolved around turtles in one way or another. Only a few decades ago, this small beach town used to be the place where thousands of turtles were killed and turned into ash trays, ukuleles, and other arts and crafts. The practice had nothing to do with subsistence either, as it was a Spanish company who had locals engage in the slaughter and processing of these sea creatures for a pittance... until the sea turtles were placed under protection.

Since then, this Turtle Center has dedicated itself to the protection of sea turtles, by providing them places to bury their eggs, guiding the hatchlings safely into the sea, and engaging the public in awareness regarding the protection of sea turtles. Even though most people I've talked to say the exhibit is not that spectacular, I still want to visit it one day. But that is for another post.

Greetings from Great A'Tuin

The impressive mural on the front facade of the Turtle Center brings to mind Great A'Tuin, the giant turtle whose back the flat world rests on, in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. In this image, however, it is merely the bay of Mazunte, in its pristine, original state, that we can see on the turtle's back, as it slowly swims through space.