A group of 30 artisans from Uriangato, Guanajuato, led a team of 300 volunteers in the creation of what is believed to be the world’s largest “carpet” design in the Mexico City zócalo.

The Ephemeral Art Monumental Carpet is a design made of sawdust, salt, leaves, pine needles, corn cobs and grains of corn that represents Xico, the depiction of a dog spread out over 3,200 square meters across the capital’s main square.

“This piece is an initiative that involves creating with all of the types of ephemeral art that the carpet layers of Uriangato make,” said Adriana Camarena, director of the Guanajuato State Institute of Culture.

She added that the idea for the carpet came about after the artisans presented one in the main plaza in Brussels, Belgium, in 2018.

“It may be the largest carpet that has been created up to now, measuring 3,200 square meters, while the one in Brussels measured 1,800 square meters,” she said.

The 300 young people directed by the Uriangato artisans volunteered through the capital’s Institute of Youth and the DIF family services agency. They began laying the first colorful materials on February 3 and finished on Thursday.

Mexico City residents and visitors have until February 12 to appreciate their work.

Uriangato is famous for its huge carpets of sawdust and flowers, created every year in October for an event called La Octavia Noche (eighth night), which celebrates its patron saint.

Source: El Universal (sp)