Güero: Memoirs of Arturo Estrada is presented, just days before his 100th birthday.

Merry Macmasters

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, p. 2

On the eve of his 100th birthday, July 30, painter and muralist Arturo Estrada Hernández, Güero, was already sung "Las mañanitas." This happened at the end of the presentation of the book "Güero: Memorias de Arturo Estrada" (Talamontes Editores, 2025), held at the Anahuacalli Museum, where the artist collaborated on the stone murals that beautify this space .

It was an experience that the honoree described as transformative and full of learning that would not have been possible without the trust and guidance of maestro Diego Rivera, whom I thank for giving me the opportunity to be part of the history of this great collective work . Estrada (Panindícuaro, Michoacán) was a member of the legendary group known as Los Fridos, having been a student of Frida Kahlo at the La Esmeralda National School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving.

The idea to sing "Las Mañanitas" came from journalist Beatriz Zalce, who took a photograph of Güero included in the edition of these substantial memoirs about Rodrigo Ortega Acoltzi. The request was enthusiastically embraced by the more than 200 people who packed the hall where the event was held.

“I was fortunate enough to be a student of great masters like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, whose enthusiasm, camaraderie, presence, and activity introduced me to the wonderful world of the Mexican people. I followed their example by trying to leave a testament to their presence in their daily lives through drawings and paintings. There are so many ways to express it; I was able to do something, though not everything I would have liked.”

"I hope there are teachers with this spirit, continuing to try to capture Mexico's atmosphere in small paintings that show the color, the sun, and everything wonderful about this country ," said Don Arturo, who says, "I was born a painter; I don't know when my interest in painting began ."

Inherited affection

For photographer Cristina Kahlo, the painter's great-niece, "El Güerito has always held a very special place in the hearts and lives of the Kahlo Alcalá family. First, as a student of Frida's, whose affection and friendship were inherited by my grandmother, Cristina, and later extended to my father, Antonio, and my mother, Elsa (who is still present). The pictorial work of El Güero Estrada has accompanied the family, and we admire it every day."

▲ About 200 people packed the Anahuacalli Museum hall where the work was unveiled, and sang "Las Mañanitas" in honor of Don Arturo Estrada. Pictured is the artist at the National Museum of Anthropology in 1964. Photo taken from the book "Güero: Memoirs of Arturo Estrada."

Cristina Kahlo brought up the mural The Miner, which Arturo Estrada painted in 1964 at the Bartolomé de Medina Technical High School in Angangueo, Michoacán. The dedication is to Frida's sister, because her dedication to the cause of the poor has been limitless .

This book is a treasure. Throughout its pages, we discover how Marcel Duchamp purchased a work by Estrada for the William and Norma Copley Foundation . However, beyond the anecdote that he was a student of Frida Kahlo, in this publication we appreciate on every page that Estrada is a great artist in his own right. Tireless and constant in his creativity, with the profound gaze of his incomparable blue eyes .

According to the volume's author, Rodrigo Ortega Acoltzi, the book was born out of curiosity and concern: "There are many places where Estrada's work can be appreciated, primarily the murals in the subway and in museums; in addition, there are a huge number of pieces reproduced in books. However, there wasn't much information available about the artist—a terrible gap. Fortunately, the master tells his stories. The book is more of a pretext for asking questions ."

The first time Ortega Acoltzi saw an Estrada mural was at the National Museum of Anthropology, where he was working at the time. It was Pedimento o manda (1964), which was in the Oaxaca room. He met him in person at the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana (Mexican Plastic Arts Salon). The interviews for the book began during the pandemic and were conducted over the phone. As soon as circumstances permitted, we went to his home to review his archive; we began compiling a photographic and video record . "He never intended to write a treatise or something encyclopedic ," the writer affirms.

Ortega Acoltzi hopes this isn't a definitive publication: "Let's see what's next. What other stories are discovered, what other documents await us ."

Arturo Estrada will celebrate his birthday on July 30 with the opening of the exhibition "The Artist of Light and Color" at the Clavijero Cultural Center in Morelia, Michoacán.

▲ China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of flora and fauna, surpassed only by Brazil and Colombia. Photo courtesy of the Chinese government.

Armando G. Tejeda

Correspondent

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, p. 3

Madrid. China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of amphibian, bird, mammal, reptile, and vascular plant species, surpassed only by Brazil and Colombia.

This wealth of wild animals is on display in a major exhibition in Madrid, entitled Habitat, which showcases the stunning beauty of a region whose mountains, forests, rivers, and deserts are home to hundreds of species.

As part of the PhotoEspaña festival, which is currently flooding Madrid and other cities, such as Barcelona, Segovia, and Valencia, with images, Habitat was presented in the Spanish capital, a project with which the Chinese government aims to showcase the immense wealth of its natural heritage to the world.

This Asian country, with its vast territory and varied landscapes, is home to numerous unique species. Mountains, forests, rivers, and deserts form a mosaic of habitats where these specimens find refuge, and where photographers have managed to capture everyday and surprising moments, showcasing a nature that often remains invisible to the general public.

We want to bring the Spanish public closer to China's natural wealth, show those rarely seen scenes of wildlife, and remind them that we all share the same home , explained curator Han Ke during the opening, who also explained that the concept of habitat not only refers to the physical location where these species live, "but also to the idea of shared responsibility towards the planet.

Through these images, the exhibition invites us to reflect on the need to protect ecosystems, promote biodiversity, and understand that the environment connects us beyond borders and cultures , Han Ke said.

The Habitat exhibition will be held at the China Cultural Center in Madrid until July 24.