A brightly colored mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe, known as the Patron Saint of the Americas, greets patrons as they arrive at La Esquinita Panaderia y Taqueria in Garland.
But just weeks after the mural went up, its future is uncertain.
Management of the shopping center where it’s located has informed the restaurant owners it will have to be removed, said Jamie Zamora, who co-owns La Esquinita with her husband, Alberto.
She said a representative from Quine & Associates, Inc., which manages the Meadowcreek Village shopping center, stopped by and informed the couple last week the mural would have to be painted over.
“It wasn't actually until the day we opened that she stopped by to check it out, and then she's like, 'well, I think we're going to probably have to paint over that,’” Zamora said. "She definitely caught us off guard with that because we're like, ‘what do you mean? Like, we're done ... we were open.’”
Zamora told KERA she had submitted to management an AI rendering of what the mural would look like on the outside of the restaurant as part of plans for the space. She believed it had been approved.
She signed the lease to the suite in mid-February and had the restaurant's soft opening on May 5. Their grand opening for the restaurant — which sells pan dulce, specialty coffees, and other Mexican dishes — was this weekend.
Zamora is hoping the community support will change the landlord’s mind and is waiting to hear back from the manager. “So right now we're going kind of back and forth with her to see what's the final touch on that,” she said.
KERA reached out to Quine & Associates but has not received a response.
Community support behind the mural
Zamora had commissioned well-known North Texas artist Juan Velazquez, who said he has painted more than 300 murals around the region, to make the mural a reality. It took three weeks for Velazquez and fellow artists to finish the piece.
When he found out about the possibility of the mural being removed, Velazquez, who often documents his art on social media, posted a video asking for community support. In days, the video had more than one million views, he said.
“I kind of just wanted in a kind way, in a polite way...I understand that there's like legal things here and contract, but you know, just trying to change the landlord's mind,” Velazquez said.
“If this is helping the business, they're going to pay you rent, maybe...let it stay, and reconsider that, you know, it's just art."
Velazquez told KERA if the mural must come down, he hopes they are given some notice, so fans of the artwork can come and take some final pictures to commemorate the work.
For Zamora, the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe represents a welcoming space not only for migrants, but for everyone.
The mural has a deep meaning for her: It bridges her family roots from Michoacan, Mexico, to Dallas — the city she was born and raised in. The mural not only depicts the Virgin of Guadalupe with the words ruega por nosotros — pray for us — but it has her image on top of the Dallas skyline.
“It's a very passionate piece for us,” Zamora said. “It's just a staple, you know, of safety, and a community, and I feel like that shouldn't be taken away from us just because of different views. We just really want to keep it.”
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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