Manuel Guzmán (b. 1964) is originally from the community of Chaná, in the municipality of Tenejapa, and his mother tongue is Tseltal.

He is a farmer/coffee grower and father of two. Manuel (also known as Nelo) is a remarkable self-taught artist who began drawing at an early age and has been in dialogue for decades with other artists—particularly with master artist Antún Kojtom, also from Tenejapa—and, since its founding in 2014, with members of the artistic community of Espacio MUY.

In 1992, while working in the construction of the subway in Mexico City, Manuel was hit by a pesera (minibus) and remained in a coma for several months. This near-death experience deeply marked him. With admirable determination and after a long recovery process—despite permanent speech impairments—he returned to his artistic practice with renewed strength and a heightened spiritual depth.

Manuel is a meticulous observer of community life. He paints the daily activities of women and men, local festivities, and the relationships with neighboring towns (particularly Oxchuc, Cancuc, and Chamula). He also records historical events, both at the local level (such as the arrival of electricity in his community) and at the regional-national level, most notably the Zapatista uprising. In his work, history blends with spirituality. He paints Palenque and explores the iconography of the Classic Maya civilization. His religiosity is expressed through both Christian symbolism and Tenejapaneca mythology. Throughout his body of work, Guzmán merges a documentary impulse with a dreamlike vision: “That’s how I saw it in my dream,” is a recurring explanation he offers for many of his paintings.

Guzmán gives his work a unique signature, thanks to his synthesis of figurative and abstract elements. With his rainbow-like colors, he brings joy to viewers’ lives. As one of Manuel’s amateur art critics, Milah Liban, once remarked: “Naïve are the people who would call the master ‘naïve’.” Indeed, his art speaks directly to the soul—resonating with people of all ages and all cultural backgrounds.

Manuel Guzmán’s trajectory includes an Honorable Mention for Indigenous Art awarded in 2016 by the State Council for Cultures and the Arts of Chiapas (CONECULTA); a partial feature in the international art magazine Dizzy in 2020; and recognition as one of the most beloved and best-selling artists at the 2021 Outsider Art Fair in New York, USA.

Lead Curator: Martha Alejandro
Espacio MUY
June–July 2025