I have long loved miniatures. I collect them wherever I travel. I have belonged to groups in which we make them. So, when a friend of a friend posted pictures on Facebook of a miniature city, including my beloved Mazatlán, my interest was piqued!

Marco A. Hernández has been working on his maqueta for years.

Once a year, during the month of December through the first week of January, it displaces his car and takes over his family’s garage. It brings joy to those walking by on the street, and squeals of delight to anyone smart enough to ask to go inside and take a look around.

Marco started with a collection of toy cars. He built some roads, overpasses, parking areas, and then a Golden Gate Bridge for those matchbox-sized cars. But he didn’t stop there.

He added a farm. He made the Angel of Independence, and put it in the center of a roundabout.

Eventually, and to my delight, he started to add in features of Mazatlán. In his miniature, garage-sized city you can walk along the malecón. It includes benches, plant boxes and a guardrail that look just like the real thing! He has even painted the malecón in the two different designs that I remember it having, thus preserving a bit of history.

Marco has created a miniature Monumento al Pescador. It even lights up at night! He has the pulmonía monument in miniature, as well as the Cervecería Pacífico monument. He has the Escudo, the state seal of Sinaloa, that is in Olas Altas, just down from the Pedro Infante statue.

Marco has created such detail that this year he even added the row of Salvador Herrera’s photographs that hang in front of the Universidad del Occidente!

Marco loves to show off his project, and watch the delight in the eyes and hearts of people who come to visit. I urge you to stop by if you know him. I hesitate to post here his address, but if you’re interested in going, I can put you in touch with him.

For some history on how Marco started, and how the various items in his diorama are made, visit:

http://www.artecar24.com/Coleccionismo/Colecciones/Marco-A.-Hernandez-Mazatlan-Sinaloa-Mexico.html

or

http://www.artecar24.com/Modelismo/Montajes/Una-ciudad-a-164.html

New Year’s Update: I am psyched that more and more people are passing on these posts. Today the local newspaper El Debate ran a short story using this post’s same title, though in Spanish of course.