In November my mom and I drove to Yauco – a city about 40 min drive from Mayaguez. At first I planned on taking the kids too. Mom suggested we go alone. But it’s culture! Art!
I’m SO glad we didn’t take them haha. It was about 90 degrees out, with no wind and endless concrete radiating the heat back up to us. Sweatsville.
Yauco is a cute city on a very steep mountainside. After Hurricane Maria the city decided to revitalize itself with murals strewn around the city. They call it Yaucomatic
One of the biggest murals are these famous steps. I actually think this painting was here pre-Maria but I’m not sure.
Mom trying to look cute while sweating
She took a photo of me. I can’t be behind the camera all the time!
Yauco is like any other city and has abandoned and broken down homes all around
Down the street from the steps. Yaucomatic has a Google map on their website showing where all the murals are
My family saw this road with steps at the end the last time we drove around Yauco
My main goal was to see the colorful street with all the houses painted. But Yaucomatic didn’t have that on their handy Google map…so we just guessed a street and entered it into the GPS. We saw this view as we totally went the wrong way.
Google GPS tried to direct us on numerous staircases (not helpful) and the most steep and twisty roads imaginable. In fact, I actually stopped to ask a guy if we were indeed on a road and not someone’s driveway. I’d die driving here in the dark. We saw our destination waaay over there….
I should’ve taken more photos of the crazy road. But we were laughing, I was trying not to flip the car over sideways and suck it in as we squeezed by other cars. This is the road curving around a house. Is it two way? Yeah, I think so.
You know a street is steep when the sidewalk is steps
Eureka! The city – or someone – put out a city and a PR flag so tourists could snap their selfies. Cool!
There were several other groups of tourists walking around – and it was a Tuesday midday!
The locals were talkative and said that the residents volunteered to have their houses painted and the same artist is doing a similar street in the city of Aguadilla.
Me thinks Mayaguez could use some artsy lovin. It’s pretty ugly (is that an oxymoron?)
Capturing the shadows
Mom opted to stay at the bottom but I climbed up up up the steps to the top
Looking down from the top
The prettiest abandoned building ever
Would wouldn’t be happy seeing these steps? There was a house at the top of this very long stair-strewn trail. I assume there was a road up there for easier access to their home than the long route I took…
I made this photo intending to make it black and white – nice shadow!
A chatty local said we could walk up to this porch – no one lived there. Um ok…it smelled like piss 🙁
Love these!