Chapala artist and photography Jaime Barbiery conceived  a new public art form during the 2010 Ajijic mural contest that formed part of the bicentennial celebrations. He added the words fachada (façade) + arte = Facharte. Chapala resident Carole Stern (shown at left above) recently asked the Facharte project to create murals and street décor in her Plaza de Toros neighborhood. Ajijic artists Miguel Angel Flores and Guillermo Gonzalez Hernandez (shown at right finishing the nets) responded with these works of art for the neighbors. Contact Facharte for your own piece of public art by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Jaime at 33-3474-1192. Visit Facharte.blogspot.com to see other Facharte murals and works.

The Feast of Saint Valentine’s Day is originally about an Italian priest martyred on February 14, 269 AD. Legend says that he was executed for performing weddings for soldiers and their maidens, an action forbidden in those days. His farewell message to his jailer’s daughter, who Valentine apparently healed, was signed “Your Valentine.” The word “feast” then does not mean “a large celebratory meal,” but instead “a religious celebration dedicated to a particular saint.”

The former teacher’s union boss Elba Esther Gordillo has asked for house arrest in her luxury mansion as she awaits trial for embezzlement.