Puerto Vallarta Maxiletters Return to the Malecon After Being Repainted

The Puerto Vallarta maxiletters returned this Wednesday to the Malecon, standing guard by the iconic Seahorse Monument. They are now part of the landscape and a symbol of this tourist destination, a must-see photo spot for the thousands of tourists who walk this important promenade daily. In the midst of a festival, the letters were unveiled again after being worked on for a month and a half at the Casa Museo Manuel Lepe on Jacarandas Street. Here, the heir of the famous naive painter, Marcela Lepe Quiroz, and her nephew Luis Lepe redecorated them.

After being restored, they were repainted inspired by Lepe’s work, restoring their brilliance and honoring his memory with the true colors and strokes that distinguished him. When the letters were originally created five years ago, the city authorities did not respect Lepe’s style and altered it. Marcela was very emotional at the event, expressing that it meant a lot to her, and she felt very happy and proud due to the many positive comments from the people of Puerto Vallarta. After the plagiarism, Manuel Lepe’s touch was now truly noticeable in these iconic maxiletters, which were finally coated with three layers of anti-graffiti protection.

The ceremony was attended by interim mayor Francisco José Martínez Gil, who expressed his pride in knowing Marcela for a long time and that they could now boast about these maxiletters. Also present were Pablo Ruperto Gómez Andrade and María Elena Curiel Preciado, city councilors; Brenda Janeth Diaz Flores, director of the Vallartense Institute of Culture; the painter Manuel Lepe’s relatives, his sister Chala Lepe Macedo, and his daughters Marcela and Gaby.

The Xiutla folkloric group danced on the special stage set up on the Malecon, with a very fitting coastal Veracruz performance. Talented saxophonist Rubén Arroyo also provided musical entertainment.