Overview:
If you have not seen Juls Mendoza's "Westwood Paletero Stories" at History Colorado yet, you only have a few more days.
In many neighborhoods, paleteros are a rare sight, but for the Westwood community of Southwest Denver, the familiar jingle of the carts that echo through the streets is a staple. Their presence inspired Juls Mendoza to curate “Westwood Paletero Stories,” an art installation featuring seven uniquely painted paletero carts at History Colorado. Each is inspired by the oral stories shared by Westwood’s paleteros.
“I wanted to put a voice to their story,” Mendoza said. “Tell their stories and make them feel proud of who they are. They deserve to be happy to be loved, and I think we accomplished that with this exhibit.”
Mendoza’s studio is located in its collaborator’s building, Re:vision, a non-profit dedicated to food security in Southwest Denver, along Morrison Road. The installation had been a recurring thought for a couple of years, and being in the vibrant community surrounded by local businesses sparked his inspiration to work with them. One is Paleteria Zacatecas, an establishment serving the community for 30 years.
“Everyone loves paletas—it’s something that, as a kid, it’s one of your biggest happiness,” Mendoza said about the refreshing popsicles, which provide a sweet escape from the heat. “There’s a lot of different businesses on Morrison and sometimes people don’t know about them—I always wanted to connect with them.”
The paletero’s oral stories were collected by 10 Southwest Denver youth, who were trained to interview them by the History of Colorado Museum of Memory, part of their Museum of Memory Initiative, where they collaborate with Colorado residents to co-author shared histories. The young interviewers asked several questions about the paletero’s childhood, the importance of family and the joys and challenges of being a paletero, to name a few.
“Each artist was given an oral history by a paletero and was inspired to paint the carritos using their own style,” Mendoza said. “I wanted people to recognize their style on the street but also get inspiration from the oral history and interpret that in their own way.”
As the warm days begin to roll in, paleteros set out with carts, to sell paletas. Generations of men have walked the streets of Westwood, bonding with community members as they go about their daily routines.
Paletero Vicente Espinoza’s workday begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. For eight to nine hours, he makes his way through neighborhoods, starting on Morrison Road, moving to Sheridan Boulevard, down to Evans Avenue, then over to Federal Boulevard, before finally making his way back to the paleteria.
Despite the long distances he travels and the uncomfortable weather he may face, he finds pleasure in his work and enjoys the connections made along the way. “It’s very nice,” Espinoza said in his oral story in Spanish. “To begin, you exercise, you sell, you earn your money and you can even find a girlfriend—I meet a lot of people and I talk to them.”
The installment was shared with the Southwest Denver community, including the paleteros, on Feb 7. Since then it has moved to the atrium at the History Colorado Center and will conclude on March 3.
During the installments’ time at the museum, guest service representative Sofia Garcia has observed many visitors, including youth from the Westwood community, coming in just to admire the colorfully designed carts. As a Latina with a profound passion and appreciation for the role of arts in social justice, she viewed it as a full circle moment that filled her with hope, especially given the uncertainty in the world today.
“To be able to see artists who truly understand how a community’s voice can be turned into art, it’s very powerful,” Garcia said. “It speaks to the importance of representation—the intergenerational connections were really beautiful too. This display alone is a testament to what’s possible.”
Representation of the community was extremely important for Juls through this project; not only did he want to honor the Westwood and paletero communities, but he also decided to highlight Denver’s diverse artists by inviting them to create their art on these carts. Artists like Detour, who is renowned for his large-scale public art, and Danielle SeeWalker, fine artist and activist, were among the artists whose creativity was featured in the installation.
“I just wanted to share who we are with other artists who have the power and outlet to share this work with different audiences,” Mendoza said. “I wanted to expand our knowledge and culture to them, to their followers, people and neighborhoods.”
After the exhibit concludes at the museum on Monday, March 3, the carts will be given back to the Westwood community so the stories of the paleteros can continue to be shared. Mendoza is currently in the works for another exhibit later this year. He hopes to continue growing as a muralist and creator in and out of Westwood.
“If it wasn’t for this community, I’m sure I wouldn’t be the artist I am today,” Mendoza said. “With different visions—different mentality. Westwood has made me who I am right now.”
