By Fernanda Noriega
Santiago Luna has been painting for as long as he can remember. For him, any space or surface can be a canvas that becomes something extraordinary when he transforms it. Shapes and colors germinate in his mind and then become reality through his hands.
Santiago is very well aware that in Mexico, drinks like mescal are representations of its culture and traditions. Through the long quarantine due to the global pandemic, free time and creativity became a magical combination for Santiago and gave him a most unique idea. He decided to create something out of the bottles of two brands of Oaxacan mescal, known as the best in the country. «The idea is that a special drink comes in an equally special container,» he says. And indeed, that statement is confirmed looking at the bottles. Currently, his artistic project is available and for sale in only one place, a shop in the Mercado de Artesanías. However, Santiago is working on a broader line and, consequently, to put his product for sale in many more spots both in San Miguel and in other areas. An additional plus is that these extraordinary bottles are reusable: they have a cap that allow them to be open and closed. This way, «when the mescal is finished, people can reuse the bottle for water, decoration or for whatever they want; they can keep the container,» he says.
Young artists like Santiago Luna are special and it is a treat to meet them in the remote corners of San Miguel. By creating projects like this, they become a promise for raising the notoriety of our beloved town before the eyes of the world.
