Discovering Chilean Heritage: Zenen Vargas and his signs

In line with our September 18 post about Fiestas Patrias, there is a design style that you see here that just says, "Chile," and we discovered the source of that design.

Zenen and his wife Panchita at his studio in San Joaquin

Zenen Vargas is an artist that designs letreros, or signs, that are used throughout Chile. From local grocers to major brands, the signs that Zenen Vargas creates can be found in every neighborhood, as well as in every supermarket. He is the designer of the Emperio la Rosa ice creamery art, in addition to being contracted for dieciocho campaigns for VTR and Becker, among others.

At a fonda in 2013

Patrick met Zenen at a festival, where his kiosk was surrounded by tons of Chileans wanting to buy a bit of history. After spotting he and his wife a number of times, Patrick asked Zenen to create a custom sign for Trip and shared a beer with the artist. They made friends on Facebook, and we've been connected ever since.

The original bus stop sign

This month we were invited to Zenen's workshop, and we got to catch up with this Chilean artist and his wife, learn about the history behind the design, and watch the man at work.

One of the buses that Zenen painted when he was a boy

The story goes that Zenen's father owned a micro (or bus) back in the early 1940s. Back then, Zenen explained, the micros were privately owned, rather than run by the state, and the bus drivers had a lot of pride for their buses. Zenen's father painted his bus and the sign that showed the stops it made, and the other bus drivers liked his so much they commissioned him to do theirs.

Zenen said he started his own style of design for the buses back then when he wasn't much older than our little Trip, and he's been painting letreros since then. Now he's had art exhibitions throughout Chile, and has been named a national pride.

Celebrating Fiestas Patrias in Chile

Fiestas Patrias is spanish for national holidays, and in Chile Fiestas Patrias refers to independence day on September 18, as well as army day on September 19. Commonly referred to as dieciocho (or 18), the holiday includes fondas (neighborhood celebrations), parades, family barbecues, terremotos (a drink, not an actual earthquake), dancing the cueca, watching Chilean rodeos, imbibing in copious amounts of carmenere and other Chilean wines, and definitely at least two days off of work (but sometimes as many as five!).

Cute Cowboy: Little Trip dressed as a huaso at his jardin's fiestas patrias celebration

Dieciocho (and national pride) is serious business here. In fact, there is a law that during the holiday every public building must hang a Chilean flag -- from a while flagpole. The flag must be pristine, and hung a certain way. (A small anecdote: Patrick has a Texas flag handkerchief, and I remember someone being concerned that I was blowing my nose on the Chilean flag -- after all they are very similar. I reassured him that it was in fact a Texan flag, but I've felt weird using that handkerchief ever since.)

Before: The boys get the meal ready

After: Typical Chilean barbecue

First off, being in Chile for their independence celebration is fun and a very unique experience. Nonetheless, it is also a bit lonely because while life here reminds you constantly that you are an extranjero (foreigner), there's nothing like a national holiday to rub your nose in it. (Because of that, we now take advantage of the time off and visit the US that week. But the celebration begins the first of September; so we've still been able to get a bit of the feel.)

Yikes! Trip gets to meet a snake

Fondas

A fonda is a community celebration that can be found in every small town across Chile, and in the metropolis of Santiago, the celebrations spill out of nearly every public park and certainly in every comuna. In three years of celebrations, we've now been to three separate fondas: that of the comuna Vitacura in Parque Bicentenario, the Providencia fonda in the Inez de Suarez park, and Las Condes' fonda in Padre Hurtado park.

Tug of war with Mommy & Trippie

Starting September 18 and lasting until the following Sunday, the massive community parks transform into something akin to a county fair. While the fairs are pretty family friendly during the day, I understand they can get rowdy at night -- and who wouldn't after a couple of terremotos or a glass or two of chicha.

Rough Rider: Trippie riding a tiny pony

Fondas usually include a Chilean rodeo, which is quite different than the ones I've watched in Texas, cueca dancing (which seems easy enough until you try it), empanadas, asado (grilled Chilean meats), a petting zoo and other kids activities, and kiosk after kiosk of handcrafted local goods. Wear comfy shoes and lots of layers as it's likely to be cold and hot and cold again, and bring cash, because there is sure to be something lovely that you can't live without.

Bigtime playtime at the fonda at Bicentenario