Garland restaurant says it may be forced to paint over Virgin of Guadalupe mural weeks after opening

A newly opened restaurant in Garland is now at the center of some controversy. The owners of La Esquinita Panaderia y Taqueria tell CBS News Texas they're being forced to paint over a religious mural on their building, even though they claim the property manager knew about the artwork from the beginning.

Owners Jamie and Alberto Zamora said the mural is meant to represent faith, and identity. With hues of blue, orange, and green, they said it also reflects North Texas pride.

"It symbolizes love and protection, and tradition for our Hispanic culture," said Jamie. "[North Texas] It's always been my home, and I love it."

The artwork wraps around the outside of the restaurant, on the east and north sides of the building. But just days after opening, the Zamoras said they've been told the mural may have to be painted over.

"It definitely does take a little bit of the excitement away, because I feel that's a huge part of our location, cause there's not a lot of attraction on this particular corner," Jamie said.

Alberto said the property manager was aware of their plans for the mural months ago, adding that they shared the plan for the walls through both email and text messages back in March. He said the property manager acknowledged the correspondence.

"She purchased some Conchas, and casually mentioned that the building was getting painted, and she mentioned that the mural will also be painted because we didn't get approval to have that painted on the building," Alberto said. "The mural was on that sketch it was on that plans, on the outside, and we were never told otherwise."

The Zamoras said they spent more than $20,000 on the mural and exterior building repairs.

"Right now it feels like a slap in the face cause I feel like if it was not allowed we would have been okay with it," Jamie said. "But having it gone, after the fact… this is where we're at now."

Virgin of Guadalupe mural created by known North Texas artist

The mural was created by well-known local artist Juan Velazquez. Due to a death in his family, it was a collective mural effort worked on by numerous local artists to finish it. Velazquez said it took three weeks to complete.

"To me I see it as art. I know it has a religious aspect to it, that some people have a problem with. The virgin Mary, I know it's a religious thing to a lot of ppl, but it's also cultural," Velazquez said. "It's art, it's making that area look better, it's attracting more people."

CBS News Texas reached out to Quine & Associates Inc., which owns the building, along with the property manager, but neither returned our requests for comment.

Now the Zamoras hope the owners reconsider.

"This is something that we worked really hard for in good faith," said Jamie. "We're not trying to start a riot or anything like that, we just want to keep it. We feel like it's a good aspect for the community."