Natives from the streets

Discover Natives of the streets, a project that seeks to disseminate the multiple native species of the Valley of Mexico with the help of illustration and urban dissemination, by Armando Maravilla.

At some point in our lives, we have found ourselves a landscape that generally dominates in white, yellow, or pink along the sidewalks, streets, and vacant lots of our city, where a large number of flowers, leaves, and stems mix in small spaces. Many people consider them weeds or undesirable plants, but they are much more than that, they are excellent attractors of pollinators, prevent soil erosion, and increase soil nutrient richness. Therefore, it is essential to observe, understand, disseminate, and conserve this vegetation that grows in our city: in short, Las Nativas de las Calles, (Natives of the Streets in english).

Lantana camara, Agastache mexicana y Argemone ochroleuca / Lantana camara, Agastache mexicana and Argemone ochroleuca
Fotografía / Photography: Flickr

Observe: The first step is observation, and this is why we took Armando Maravilla’s experience to exemplify how this works. During his stay in Guanajuato, he found posters with plants stuck on the walls of the city, which caught his attention greatly as it sparked his interest in the species that appeared there. This is a small and beautiful story of how one of the most beautiful and artistic ways of raising awareness about something few people know despite it being right there: The vegetation.

Cartel de planta nativa / Native plant poster
Fotografía / Photography: Armando Maravilla

Know: In Mexico, there are approximately 23,000 species of flowering plants and nearly 1,000 species of non-flowering plants, making it one of the countries with the greatest diversity of plant organisms, primarily due to its privileged geographic location. Do we really know everything there is? Only a few people look around expecting to find a flower, especially in the city.

Disseminate: This is why dissemination is one of the most important stages for the people who live in this city to recognize the species. There are different ways to do this, from large books filled with information to the last page, to artistic expressions that include useful information about diversity, to workshops and conferences that bring this knowledge closer to the population. Where is it easiest for city dwellers to find all these parts?: In the city, on the streets, on the walls.

Divulgación de plantas nativas / Dissemination of native plants
Fotografía / Photography: Arath Macías

Conserve: Knowing in order to conserve is a fundamental principle in order to be able to cohabit with all the species that surround us, to call them as they are, and to understand the important processes that all organisms carry out in the ecosystem. We cannot conserve what we do not know or what we will never be able to know, hence the need to bring knowledge of native flora to the streets.

Ilustraciones / Illustrations
Fotografía / Photography: Armando Maravilla

In summary, this project is the culmination of many ideas, support, walks, observations, friendships, and above all, a love for the native plants that surround us and our eternal desire to share them with the entire population of the Valley of Mexico. We extend our gratitude to those who coordinated this project: Sofía Probert, Armando Maravilla, and Arath Macias, and to those who supported the selection of species: Diego, Francisco, Natalia, Emmanuel, David, Alejandra, Cavo, and Carlos. As well as to the more than 40 illustrators who spent weeks drawing and learning about the native flora of our city.

Pegando carteles / Pasting posters
Fotografía / Photography: Armando Maravilla

“Incredible experience meeting so many people equally interested in native flora, as well as instilling a love for them in others by getting to know them.” – Maria Izquierdo, illustrator of Lantana camara

“It was very nice to participate because, despite having different careers, we do illustration and we care about the conservation of native plants. Disseminating this is important because, as they say, ‘You don’t care for what you don’t know.” – Berenice Arceta, illustrator of Phaseolus coccineus and Agastache mexicana

“Attention is the most valuable thing we have; paying attention to the chicalotes made me illustrate them with much love and start calling them by their name.” – Isabel Zaragoza, illustrator of Argemone ochroleuca