Connections with Nature
Here we belong, here we protect
Children will inherit the world we leave behind—and the responsibility of caring for it. But caring for nature begins with something more fundamental: having the chance to know it.
Time outdoors gives children opportunities to discover a world alive with possibility. A bird calling from a tree, a tadpole in a pool of water, an insect moving across a leaf, or the first green shoot after the rains can spark curiosity and wonder. These experiences help children understand that they are part of a larger living world, connected to the plants, animals, water, soil, and people around them.
That connection matters. When children spend time in nature, they learn to observe closely, ask questions, solve problems, and recognize the needs of other living things.
Wonder can grow into understanding; understanding can nurture empathy; and empathy can become a desire to care for the places we share.
Along Las Cachinches, children can see these connections firsthand. The arroyo is a living classroom where they can watch birds, discover insects and plants, learn how water shapes the landscape, plant and care for habitat, and take part in caring for a place that belongs to their community.
Our responsibility is to give children those opportunities—to explore, discover, participate, and feel that their actions matter. In doing so, we help them find not only knowledge in nature, but meaning, belonging, and a sense of responsibility for the world they will one day inherit.
ARTISTS: ANAEL OLARTE
& OMAR MORENO
ARTISTS' STATEMENT
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Anael Olarte is an intercultural manager and artist. Her artistic practice explores the relationship between people and local biodiversity, with a special focus on birds, insects, and native species that are part of our everyday environment. Through observation, research, and community art processes, she invites us to look more closely at what often goes unnoticed, promoting the recognition and appreciation of the nature around us. Her work seeks to strengthen the bond between communities and their territory, based on her conviction that knowledge and a sense of belonging are the first steps toward conservation.
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Omar Moreno "Queso" is a self-taught artist originally from the San Rafael neighborhood in San Miguel de Allende. His artistic practice explores geometry, color, and memory, in-corporating symbols like corn to reflect on identity, territory, and community roots.
In addition to his work as a painter and teacher, he actively participates in cultural management and community art projects, understanding art as a tool to strengthen collective memory, a sense of belonging, and connection among people.
"Here We Belong, Here We Protect" invites us to view Las Cachinches Arroyo as a living space where people and nature are part of the same community. The artwork depicts children exploring the stream, observing birds, discovering the vegetation, and approaching the water through curiosity, play, and learning.
The mural emerged from a participatory process developed with the children. Before beginning to paint, we took a walk along the stream to observe the species that inhabit this ecosystem. From this experience, the children identified the plants and animals that most caught their attention and incorporated them into the mural, transforming their observa-tion into a collective representation of the territory.
Each element depicted corresponds to species present in the Las Cachinches Stream, making the mural not only an artistic expression, but also a testament to local biodiversity and the bond that can be built with it through direct experience.
The phrase "Here we belong, here we protect" encapsulates the central message of the artwork: when we recognize ourselves as part of a place, the commitment to care for it is also born. The mural seeks to strengthen the sense of belonging to the stream and inspire a closer, more respectful, and conscious relationship with the natural environment.
MURAL SPONSORS
Stephanie & R. Alan Rudy
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