Graffiti artists transformed this neighborhood in Mexico with a giant mural

On the hillside of a downtrodden neighborhood in the Mexican city of Pachuca, there’s been some unusual activity in the last seven months or so. Graffiti artists from a collective called Germen Nuevo Muralismo Mexicano have been at work on what they’re calling a macro mural, using 209 homes as their canvas.

https://instagram.com/p/4chTr7QCzz/?tagged=palmitas

The mural covers 20,000 meters–or more than 65,000 feet.

https://instagram.com/p/5ky9IGHEw_/?tagged=palmitas

The graffiti artists were contacted by the local government, according to Diario de San Luis, and asked to help rehabilitate the mostly concrete grey buildings in the area. Street Art News reports that the 452 families who live in the neighborhood of Palmitas have seen a reduction in crime since the mural began, which they say is partly because the artists got community members to collaborate on the mural.