Artist: Marta Zamora González
Mural title: Pulpería Ventanas
A "pulería" in English is a corner store where everyday household goods are sold... eggs, tinned goods, candy, drinks, and so forth. They proliferated in Costsa Rica and were a mainstay of rural life until recently (15 - 20 years ago) when supermarkets opened branch stores outside the major towns and people became more mobile with the acquisition of automobiles. Pulpería Ventanas was a real pulpería and the people portrayed behind the counter, Don Carlos and his wife, Doña Antonia, are real people. In fact, the structure is one of the oldest structures in town.
This mural was voted the winner by the town for the Popular Prize. Any man in his 50's that grew up in town identifies immediately with the young barefoot boy in shorts and a t-shirt. They would all pause on their way home from school to buy a "confite" and the adults would stop in on their way home from the fields and catch up on the town's doings. Pulpería Ventanas depicts more than a moment in time, a way of life, but rather "a space" in which Guacimeños had a enjoyed a different outlook on life than most do today.
Everything we perceive is momentary, from buildings, to our way of life to we ourselves. What is timeless, the only thing that is Real, as the butterflies and flowers in the mural suggest, is the intelligence of the life force. That never changes.
