Click here to enjoy a meal at home using one of Chef Christina Martinez’s delicious recipes. We invite you to celebrate Mexican cuisine, which was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010.
ARTIST CÉSAR VIVEROS LATEST PROJECT
César Viveros Herrera is a self-taught painter from Veracruz Mexico. In 1997, César came to the United States and was inspired by the murals created by Mural Arts Philadelphia. Since that time, César has spent 20 years collaborating with Mural Arts and other organizations, in creating murals and public art in the United States and his native Mexico.
César’s significant works include; Healing Walls (Victim’s Journey-2003) and (Inmates Journey -2004), a Mural Arts’ project that evolved from work with inmates of the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. Prisoners, victims of crime, victims’ advocates and others, worked together to create two murals depicting the struggle to change patterns of crime within communities and individuals. In 2006, César created the public mural, “Fuego Nuevo/ New Fire” as an homage to Mexican migration to Philadelphia. Through story- telling and painting, the mural depicts the faces of a developing and thriving Mexican community seeking to learn and exercise their rights in the United States, while making an impact/change in Mexico.
César Viveros Herrera, received global recognition when he created a mural commemorating Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families – 2015. The mural titled The Sacred Now: Faith and Family in the 21st Century, is 4,239 square feet and was created from 153 individual panels. People of different races, religions, nationalities, and ages painted the panels and engaged in discussions about peace, love, acceptance and unity. The mural which was signed by Pope Francis touched the lives of almost 2,500 people through paint days, thereby breaking the Guinness Book of World Records.
César has also, created art installations in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Center and the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia, for public programs celebrating Mexican arts and culture at the University of Pennsylvania Archaeology Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. He is a co-founder of the Aztec group “Fuego Nuevo” which through performances and workshops works to preserve Pre- Colombian culture.
Currently, César is creating murals and public art from a whole new perspective and heights. César’s mural making has been elevated above the ground and walls, to rooftops.
MEXICAN WEEK 2017
Philadelphia, PA-April 20, 2017-The Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia and the Mexican Cultural Center are organizing Mexican Week from Monday, May 1, 2017 through Saturday, May 6, 2017. A series of events will celebrate the culture of Mexico through its diverse art, food, music, and traditions.
MONDAY, MAY 1ST(11:30 AM – 12:00 PM): Flag Raising Ceremony, City Hall, Philadelphia.
Mayor Jim Kenney and other city officials will join Consul of Mexico Alicia Kerber for this civic ceremony.
TUESDAY, MAY 2ND (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): “Jarocho Impressions,” CCATE, Norristown.
Inauguration of the exhibit of Mexican-themed engravings by Mexican-Canadian artist Alec Dempster at the Center for Art, Culture, Training and Education (CCATE) located at 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, PA 19401.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Culinary Demonstration, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Chef Dionicio Jimenez will offer a demonstration of traditional Mexican gastronomy, recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010.
FRIDAY, MAY 5TH:
First Friday! Jarana Beat (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM), The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.
Recipient of the 2015 Mexican Music Award for Best Contemporary Folk Band, Jarana Beat is a world music band incorporating dance and activism. The group blends the origins of Mexican music with contemporary elements and other musical traditions to offer a new interpretation of Afro-Amerindian Mexico.
“A Door in the Desert” World Premiere (8:00 PM – 9:00 PM), FringeArts, Philadelphia.
Presented as one of the full-length works created during the FRONTERAS platform by the Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, A Door in the Desert is an acrobatic journey through transcendence and back, earnestly questioning why we divide and label ourselves.
SATURDAY, MAY 6TH (10:30 AM – 3:00 PM), St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Philadelphia.
Mexican Week will conclude with a free community event including music performances, activities and toy giveaway as part of the “Día del Niño” celebration, a discussion about the current immigration situation and more!
MAY 2ND-MAY 6TH: “Mexican Restaurant Week” at various restaurants in the region
Several Mexican restaurants in the region will offer special prix fixe menus. Recipe books, featuring recipes by Chef Cristina Martinez from South Philly Barbacoa, will be distributed during Mexican Week events.
Contact:
Carlos Torres, Consul of Media and Promotion, Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia, (215) 922-4262, ext. 310, ctorresc@sre.gob.mx and/or Yaroslava Camacho, Director of Programs, Mexican Cultural Center, (215) 592-0410, admin@mexicanculturalcenter.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mexicanculturalcenterphila/
Twitter: @MCCPhilly, @ConsulmexFila
Sponsors: AMEXCID, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Services, PECO, Wells Fargo, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
Media Sponsors: Univisión 65, Al Día
