Rio Cuale bridge illustrated with work by Manuel Lepe

Colorful scenes of daily life in Puerto Vallarta, embodied in the unmistakable naive style of the painter Manuel Lepe Macedo, give new life to the pillars of the vehicular bridge on Ignacio L. Vallarta avenue that connects the Centro and Emiliano Zapata neighborhoods.

The work was carried out by Luz Marcela Lepe Quiroz, daughter and custodian of the legacy of the illustrious Vallarta native, with the support of the artist Luis Enrique Pérez Lepe, at the request and with funding from the Puerto Vallarta municipal government, through the Vallarta Institute of Culture (IVC).

Initially, Marcela suggested painting the vehicular bridge. After an inspection visit, they decided to paint only the pillars to take advantage of the new lighting, explained the director of the IVC, Marina de los Santos Álvarez. The idea, she said, is for each of the 22 pillars to have a connection to the next, in such a way as to tell a story.

The naive-style motifs are presented chronologically along the bridge, in a north-south direction, and show a variety of scenes of daily life in the city, among others: Guadalupana pilgrimages, tourists on the beach, walkers in the Malecon, and the distinctive cherubs that appear throughout Lepe Macedo’s work.

The Emiliano Zapata neighborhood is very representative of the family, stated Marcela Lepe regarding the relevance of painting in public space with the characteristic style of the illustrious son of Puerto Vallarta. “My grandfather was the founder of it and my father gave names to several streets,” she said.

Manuel Lepe Macedo (Puerto Vallarta, 1936-Guadalajara, 1984) is, without a doubt, our artist, said the director of the Vallarta Institute of Culture. “He represents us, gives us identity, and is completely universal due to the simplicity of his art.”

With the paintings of the vehicular bridge on Ignacio L. Vallarta Avenue, the second stage of a comprehensive project that began at the end of August with the cleaning and maintenance of the mural “Puerto Vallarta”, located inside the Municipal Presidency, concludes.