Mariachi Plaza Station
El Niño Perdido
Alejandro de la Loza, artist
Estimated completion 2009
The station’s plaza incorporates the Mariachi Plaza, a location that has been an informal gathering place for mariachi groups and music trios for decades. Inspired by the famous Mexican song from yesteryear, “El Niño Perdido” (the Lost Child), the artist will create a bronze statue of a mother and child which hangs over the entrance to the station. Also included on the plaza will be a stone wall mural at the performing stage and floor medallions near the elevators incorporating animals of the Southwest region.
The entry stair landing is a colorful space of tile and a spiraling snake floor pattern. The mezzanine includes a series of granite wall and floor sculptures that allude to the universe and family. The designs echo the song, “El Niño Perdido” and call for the lost child, his answer and the happy reunion.
“In our talks with the community we realized that children were very important to the neighborhood. We wanted the station and the artwork to reach out to young people and to foster the importance of nurturing and family.”