Valladolid, Yucatán — A dreary historic-center facade was brightened with a mural of flowers and a portrait of iconic artist Frida Kahlo.
But the owner of the Hotel La Terminal is catching grief from many neighbors and city officials who think this isn’t a good look for the historic colonial city.
On social media, photos of the bold mural began to circulate a few days ago. Kahlo’s face dominates the second floor facing Calle 46, between 37 and 39. Brightly colored flowers dot the rest of the wall on a vivid blue background.
The cyan blue alone does not conform with the color palette set in the city’s Urban Development catalog, reports Diario de Yucatán.
Yadira Castillo Montejo told the newspaper that she hired a well-paid artist from Guadalajara to overhaul the hotel’s facade.
She said that the painting has turned a once nondescript hotel into a tourist attraction. Visitors like to pose on the balcony for photos, she said.
“What I least want is to have problems with the authorities, but at least I hope they give me some time before I erase it, while I recover the money I invested in work … which could be in December,” she said.
She also said that other building on the street are painted in nonconforming colors, but have not been challenged by authorities.
