Discovering Chiclayo’s Street Art

It was one of those days where I felt like writing but couldn't think of anything to write about, so I put a camera in my pocket and Maribel and I took a walk to look for something inspiring. It took awhile before we discovered that what we were looking for was right under our noses, and had been there all along.

Street art is probably a worldwide phenomenon. There are lots of talented people, and when given a blank wall to express themselves on they can produce some really beautiful art…at least in my opinion.

This is where the idea for this post came from. We walk past sidewalk chalk artists almost every day, usually oblivious to their work. On this day for no real reason his creation caught our attention, which started us wondering about what other ‘art’ might exist on the streets of Chiclayo. We didn’t see any other chalk artists on this day, but we did discover dozens of street murals, most of which we’d probably walked past hundreds of times without noticing.  

Other than the chalk art I don’t think I've ever seen street art actually being created. I guess I assumed that phantoms painted these wall murals in the dark of the night, so I was surprised when we came across these folks doing their thing. The guy holding the hat had quite a few coins in it contributed by passers-by. We were told the mural would be finished that afternoon.

This photo shows the finished product. It reads, “Cañaris, you are not alone!” Cañaris is an isolated district of 38 villages in a remote section of the Lambayeque Region. It has the reputation of a dangerous area. It is difficult to reach and receives minimum government attention. The majority of the people speak Quechua, the language of the Inca. The photos following are a sample of other murals we came across.

This could probably be called neighborhood pride street art. It reads, "A town with culture is a progressive town".

This mural extends uninterrupted for nearly one-quarter mile. It depicts historical events both real and mythical, and cultural aspects of the region. It is one part of an elaborate beautification project on a major street in Chiclayo.

There are some very talented people in Chiclayo. We're looking forward to discovering more of their work.