With an honor guard on the steps of the municipal palace, authorities paid tribute to the painter Manuel Lepe Macedo, honored son of Puerto Vallarta, commemorating the 33 anniversary of his death.
Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña joined the family and friends of the artist recalling the legacy left on Puerto Vallarta and the world through his work, as well as the great impression he left on those who knew him.
In attendance was the city Mayor, the General Secretary of City Council, Victor Bernal Vargas. Heading the event was Marcela Lepe Quiroz, daughter of the painter, and Rosalía Lepe, sister of Manuel Lepe.
In her speech, Marcela Lepe proudly said that 33 years after the death of her father, Manuel Lepe Macedo, his paintings remain strong keeping the memory alive, remembering through his paintings a traditional Vallarta, where children ran through the center and bathed in the Bay of Banderas, showing a simple way of life and its people. Those days of Vallarta laid the foundation of what today is one of the countries largest tourist destinations.
The Chronicler of the City, Manuel Gomez Encarnación, offered a few words in which he affirmed “that only those who are able to feel and love the deep Vallarta that bequeathed us our parents and grandparents, is able to paint it with the love that Manuel Lepe did. ”
“Manuel forever froze the innocent face of Puerto Vallarta; eternalized his candor in the colorful verses which are his canvases; therefore, in every look we give to his paintings, we remember their origins, our roots; therefore we affirm that his work is an icon of identity”.
The Municipal Band played some favorite melodies of the artist, like ‘sólo una vez’, rendering a simple but significant tribute to his memory.
The ceremony was also attended by the director of the Vallartan Institute of Culture, Fernando Sánchez Aceves and the Air Force Colonel Pilot Aviador, Miguel Angel Portillo Vargas, Commander of the Military Air Station No.5, representing the 41st Military Zone.
Related: Puerto Vallarta Celebrates the Life of Manuel Lepe, Official Day of Manuel Lepe in Puerto Vallarta
