Oficinas del INJUVE. Calzada México-Tacuba, Alcaldía 235, Un Hogar Para Nosotros, Miguel Hidalgo
"Quetzen-tul with one more marble" by Curiot

Every time one exits the subway station Colegio Militar, one’s progress is watched by a creature twelve meters high. A spiritual warrior is depicted on the facade of the subway station building.

The name of this mural is “Quetzen-Tul”. It was painted by Favio Martínez, better known in the street art world as Curiot. This is a special work; the first to be produced as part of Lienzo Capital (Facades of the Capital), the mural program of the Mexico City Youth Institute (INJUVE).
 
The work features the profile of a warrior who appears to be wearing an animal skin, possibly a bearskin. His face is completely concealed by a large mask that also hides his shoulders and part of his neck. The mask is made up of several layers of color, which lend it depth. Only part of the warrior’s hair – long and tied back into a bunch – can be seen, as well as the right eye, which seems more like a ray of light, without any pupil.

A sparkling planet hovers between the index finger and thumb of the warrior – “one more marble”, as the title of the work explains. Curiot is playing with the notion of various existing universes, planets, and realities, and with the possibility that each of us is an entire world, which would mean that we could determine our own fate.
 
It is the details that stand out most of all in this mural. Curiot attached particular importance to the painstakingly drawn lines and brushstrokes. Careful scrutiny of the animal skin or intricate design of the masks reveals just how obsessed Curiot is with detail.

About the artist

Better known as Curiot, Favio Martínez is a Mexican artist who studied at the Escuela Popular de Bellas Artes in Morelia, Michoacán. His passion for skateboarding led him almost inevitably to street art. His work could be described as a collage of textures, forms, and colors. He creates figures composed of various elements: fur and nature, smoke, masks, materials. Each element is chosen so as to give the appearance of texture when combined with the others. Curiot’s works range from the dark to the colorful.
 
His paintings take us on journeys through heavenly worlds full of deities that are highlighted by masks or a beam of light so as to emphasize their divine nature. He has intervened in rooms such as those at the Fecal Face and CC186 galleries, at the famous David Alfaro Siqueiros gallery, and at the Border Cultural Center. Furthermore, he was awarded first place at the 7th Alfredo Zalce National Biennial of Painting and Engraving.