Coming into the town of Santa Catarina Palopó, in the highlands of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, the first thing you notice is the bright colors. Most of the buildings along the main street are eye-catching, in deep, varied hues of blues and greens; interspersed with red and yellow to form complex patterns and designs.
Santa Catarina Palopó was once a sleepy town of 5,000 people, most of them indigenous (土著的) and dependent on agricultural work. As agriculture began to dry up here, decline for the town and poverty for many of its families came. To deal with poverty and stimulate economic growth through tourism, a small but mighty group of laborers, artisans, domestic workers and stay-at-home moms created the Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó project.
The project was initially to paint all 850 homes and buildings in bright colors, in an effort to change the hillside town into a work of art. "We wanted to paint the houses with colors and figures that represent the community," says the project's executive director Stephany Blanco. "A range of designs were created so that families can choose designs for their house that are representative of the family."
One of the most representative characteristics of the region is the blue huipil, a traditional blouse which has been worn prominently by local women since the 16th century. That deep sky blue was chosen as the primary color for the Pintando project, with secondary colors found in the sunsets and the nearby lake to make the design more attractive. As for the designs that would be used, they would also find inspiration in local culture, symbols such as volcanoes, flowers, Mayan-styled butterflies and the national bird of Guatemala.
Each week, local artists, community members and tourists pick up paintbrushes to make buildings colorful. "At first, the idea of the project left many unsure about participating, but now you can see a considerable difference in the town," Melissa Whitbeck said. "The color of the buildings is believed to improve the quality of life of the people. It uplifts the people's mood and encourages them to be proud of where they come from."
