The Wixáritari people of Jalisco have won the state’s 31st — and Mexico’s 204th — Guinness World Record with the world’s largest bead mosaic.

Boasting an area of 81.55 square meters and a weight of two tonnes, the mosaic was painstakingly created over a period of nearly three months by 15 dedicated artisans from the northern sierra town of San Sebastián. They used 450 kilograms of small plastic beads known as chaquiras in the process.

The beads were affixed to 32 wooden boards using 48 kilograms of beeswax. The resulting mosaic depicts a female figure wearing the traditional attire of the women of Jalisco, accompanied by a male figure wearing a charro suit, popular among mariachi musicians.

The couple is adorned and surrounded by flowers and multi-colored shapes and figures.

The process was verified by staff from Guinness World Records, who paid close attention to ensure that no gaps existed during the process of joining the individual wooden boards.

This was crucial to consider the end product a single piece, said Guinness judge Carlos Tapia.

“The goal was to surpass a 71.33-square-meter mosaic created in New Orleans, but that was not made out of chaquiras, this is a new category. Speaking of mosaics [the one created by the Wixáritari] is currently the largest,” he told the news agency EFE.

“The Mexican people have great strength . . . when they set out to do something, they accomplish it. They come together as a people and always want to share this kind of handicraft with the world,” Tapia said.

The mosaic was presented during the International Mariachi Encounter at Guadalajara’s Liberación plaza. If the weather allows, the Wixáritari mosaic will be on exhibition there until September 2.

The event organizer, the local Chamber of Commerce, plans to auction the mosaic and use the funds to build a classroom in the Wixáritari town where the mosaic was created, in collaboration with the Iyari Alba foundation.

Source: El Universal (sp)