We ‘Could Fall in Love’ With This 12-Foot Tall Día de Muertos Selena Piñata
As many fans can attest, the late Tejano icon Selena Quintanilla was larger than life, making her the “Queen of Tejano music” forevermore.
This month, Texas artist Alfonso Hernandez decided to take that “larger than life” notion and construct a 12-foot tall Día de los Muertos Selena piñata.
Decked out in a purple outfit reminiscent of the legendary jumpsuit Selena wore for her 1995 last televised concert at the Houston Astrodome, which occurred just a month before her death. Hernandez explained to mitú that the clothing choice was simple: “I wanted to make it [Selena’s] favorite color and her iconic outfit.”
The artist was commissioned to make the piñata by Mundo Latino to be featured at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, and is “thankful” to have been given creative freedom throughout the design process.
Even more amazing?
Hernandez brought in his own family to help him with the project: “Knowing the project was going to be big I wanted to involve a couple of family members, my father did the metal framework for me,” creating the skeleton to build the piñata upon.
Meanwhile, his daughter even added a touch of silver lining to the piñata, making the creation even more special than it is at first glance.
Hernandez explains that he gave his family helpers “the same freedom” that was given to him by commissioners, letting them “do [their] thing.” Still, the artist himself did all the sculpting and major painting of the 12-foot tall creation, and described just how much work he put into his masterpiece.
He said, “It took a hard 10 days,” working anywhere from eight to ten hours a day.
The enormous piece was featured at the state fair’s Mundo Latino, specifically inside the Women’s Museum, and as Hernandez wrote in an Instagram post, piñatas have “come a long way.” Thanking supporters close to his heart, he continued, “Special thanks to my daughter for painting the design, it was such a special moment for me. Also a [shout] out to my old man for the steel frame work. Last but not least, thank you to everyone for the support through the years.”
A special side note? Hernandez also included a “lifelike Vicente Fernandez” at his exhibit.
Hernandez is no stranger to piñatas, and it is incredible to see him find success in doing one of the things he loves the most.
He explained, “I have been making piñatas (made to break) since 2016. I have given up a couple of times but my city didn’t let me. I have so many strong supporters that I’m thankful for.”
Showing his Selena creation at such an important event “was big,” especially with Hernandez “being a Dallas native and growing up 5 minutes from the state fair.”
We love to see it, especially with such a gorgeous creation that has us singing “Como La Flor” non-stop. Yep, we’re still “dreaming of” this piñata — and we “could fall in love” with it, too.
