Mural Honors Heroic Grandmother in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — Following the tragedy of the pipeline explosion at the Puente de la Concordia on September 10 and the lamentable death of Alicia Matías Teodoro, urban artists in Playa del Carmen have created a mural in her honor.

The work, done by artists from "Pinta o Muere," was shared on social media by Playa del Carmen residents. The mural depicts the painful scene that went viral moments after the tragedy: Alicia Matías Teodoro carrying her two-year-old granddaughter after suffering burns from the gas pipeline explosion.

A Tribute in Paint

Located on Avenida 10 at Calle 2, the mural shows the woman with large white wings and a yellow angel's halo. In her arms is the young girl, Jazlyn Azulet, who remains hospitalized for second and third-degree burns.

This mural in Playa del Carmen is the third created to honor and remember the 49-year-old woman who lost her life following the pipeline explosion in Iztapalapa. The first mural was created under the bridge where the tragic event occurred by the urban artist Snoke. The second was in Mérida, which also illustrated "Cereza," a pregnant dog that was similarly injured.

Remembering Alicia Matías Teodoro

The woman was one of more than 20 fatalities and nearly 100 injured from the explosion in Iztapalapa. She died from severe burns covering 90 percent of her body. Alicia was working alongside her granddaughter at the public transport stop near where the tragedy occurred.

A video that went viral on social media showed the woman, despite her pain, walking several streets while carrying her two-year-old granddaughter, who was also injured. After several days, on Friday, September 12, the "heroic grandmother," as she was named for her heroic act, lost her life at the Hospital Magdalena de las Salinas.

To date, the death toll remains at 29, with 16 people hospitalized.