New mural in downtown Tracy celebrates Mexican culture: "You shouldn't be scared"
TRACY -- Downtown Tracy is getting a change of scenery. A tattoo shop owner in Miami has returned to his hometown to paint a mural that shows Mexican culture and community.
"I went to middle school, high school here," said Adrian Delgado.
A Miami-based tattoo artist, Delgado is now trading his canvas for a wall.
"I've been doodling and drawing for fun since I was a kid, and I never knew that it was going to take me here," Delgado said, pointing at the mural.
Delgado is now coming full circle. At a Mexican-owned business in downtown Tracy, a place he's passed by time and time again, he's been commissioned to breathe life into the city.
The mural is full of Mexican history like the Mayan pyramids, the Aztec calendar, Monarch butterflies, and the Virgin Mary.
"She's the queen, the one that we pray to our whole lives, everybody has a photo of her in the house," said Delgado. "Everything around her is culturally important."
He started work Saturday on the mural.
"We wanted to show our culture. Something vibrant," Delgado said. "That's why I chose the happy colors."
Vibrance and happiness during a time of uncertainty for some in the Hispanic community.
"[The owner] said, 'Hey, I wanna do something for the community, I [want to] do something for the Hispanic culture,'" said Delgado.
Delgado has been working both day and night, even nonstop at times to get this mural finished. His hope is that this vibrant mural not only brings a sense of community, but also brings a positive expression to Mexican culture.
"This mural that we did is to make people feel like they have a place here, and they're safe. I think with everything going on, people are scared to be themselves, to speak Spanish. You shouldn't be scared," he said.
Delgado was also given a dedication by San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman, who said the mural is a great addition to the city and represents a lot of the county's culture.
