Fábrica de Artes y Oficios de Oriente

A celebration of Dia de la Tierra/Earth Day.

Photo: Magali G·lvez

In Iztapalapa, an industrial district on the outskirts of Mexico City, a stunning building stands as a beacon of light and hope. A dramatic piece of architecture by Alberto Kalach, it suggests a large boat, illuminated by a beacon, and is set against a sandy beach from a long-dead lake. The building’s design is a metaphor for its function—a vessel of culture and a place of revelation and refuge.

Known as EL FARO, “the beacon,” Fábrica de Artes y Oficios de Oriente/Factory of Arts and Crafts of the East is a bold attempt to mend the tattered fabric of this densely populated but overlooked neighborhood. Here nationally and internationally recognized artists, often donating their time, and their apprentices, ages 17-25, create cultural products from start to finish. If the result is a magazine, they make the paper, design the layout, write the poetry or articles, take the photographs, silkscreen the cover, and print the magazine. Participants are invited to sell their works for profit at events throughout Mexico. “Young people discover that they can express themselves. They know that what they learn can help them speak to others. They know that they can live from what they do with their hands, what they write with their pen, what they say with their bodies by dancing or with their voice by acting,” Director Benjamin Gonzáles explains.

In addition, through a trimester program, young children take 26 free workshops in everything from sculpture to papermaché, dance, toy-making, theater, or music. These workshops, like the training program, culminate in showcase events throughout the community and Mexico City.

For children and families in the neighborhood, EL FARO is a sanctuary, where everyone counts. And here, the demands of everyday life can be set aside by a visit to the library with its books donated by important Mexican writers; to Library Club, where volunteers read fairy tales and other literature to children and their families; or to the gardens, an exhibition, theatrical performance, concert or cinema.