'All about the Lower Valley': Zeke's Pueblo Mexicano Market celebrates 56 years with mural

Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times
·2 min read

When muralist Michael Fierro thinks of the Lower Valley, he thinks of a cultural mecca.

It's a cultural mecca that touches the five senses — from the sight of its beautiful missions, the tangible pride in the Tigua reservation, the great-smelling La Tapatia restaurant and of course, the great flavors from Zeke's Pueblo Mexicano Market steaks.

So when the owner of Zeke's wanted a mural to celebrate its 56 years of existence, the subject matter was already in Fierro's head.

"I've been wanting to do a mural for the Ysleta community for years already," he said. "We wanted to do something really special for the Lower Valley and he gave me the artistic freedom to do it."

Zeke's Pueblo Mexicano Market, at 115 Ysleta Lane, is marking 56 years of business with a new mural.
Zeke's Pueblo Mexicano Market, at 115 Ysleta Lane, is marking 56 years of business with a new mural.

Fierro, 49, who has done art before for the owner, has worked on other murals around the city including the one behind Costco in Central El Paso, off Geronimo. He has worked with other well-known muralists like Carlos Callejo, who worked on the El Paso County Courthouse mural, and he is also the artist who started Amano Art Collective. He also does woodwork and makes furniture for high-end recording studios.

The mural, which greets customers as they walk into the supermarket doors, features many Lower Valley icons including the Ysleta mission, the Y for Ysleta High School, a peacock for the Pavorreal Recreation Center, the Bronco for the Bronco Swap Meet, a train which is throughout El Paso's tracks and a Tigua dancer.

"I wanted to capture the whole Lower Valley in one mural," Fierro said. "I wanted to show the agriculture that used to grow here, the pecan trees on North Loop and the cotton fields. I remember behind Mt. Carmel Cemetery, there were cotton fields all over in that area of Zaragoza and the border. So I put in there a cotton ball and I put in some pecans and nopal, just for the agriculture."

Artists Brian Holt and Mike Fierro manage Amano Artist Co-op, a warehouse turned into a two-story art space with exhibits and artist studio spaces. The building is at 210 Poplar St.
Artists Brian Holt and Mike Fierro manage Amano Artist Co-op, a warehouse turned into a two-story art space with exhibits and artist studio spaces. The building is at 210 Poplar St.

Zeke's, owned now by Yadro Lizardo, was started by his father in 1967. It was the original meat market in the Lower Valley, where residents often flocked to on weekends for their steaks. To this day, people often go early on weekends to get their choice cuts if they are planning a get-together, holiday or not.

The store is now a full supermarket, at 115 Ysleta Lane, with produce, baked goods, dairy and canned goods.

"He really loves the community and is all about the Lower Valley," Fierro said. "All he told me is what do you need."

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María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New mural celebrates Zeke's Mexican supermarket, Lower Valley flavor