Gabriel Aguilar, the creator of the heart of San Miguel

Published March 16th, 2022

We all talk about San Miguel de Allende as “the Heart of Mexico and Latin America” and we represent it, we offer it to the world in the form of a craft, a craft in the shape of a red heart with golden or silver touches, but did you know who was its creator? The inventor of the heart of San Miguel?

The sanmiguelense “Gabriel BadilloAguilar”, son of a recognized and highly esteemed local craftsman in his time, Don Ignacio Badillo, because unfortunately, they are no longer with us, they went ahead of us, but Gabriel, who was also a young craftsman, he was the creator of that divine piece that today we see exhibited in many local stores and exploited in large quantities and sizes, and that is also exported to different corners of the world, “The Heart of San Miguel de Allende”.

For years, his idea and creation were plagiarized and offered to municipal governments for millions of pesos, of which he never saw a peso.

Gabriel passed away on November 18, 2021, his funeral was held the following day and he was buried in the cemetery of the community of Galvanes.

Gabriel Aguilar was the creator, he designed these sheet metal hearts that give identity to this town. “A man with a born talent, he was an unstoppable creative, who surprised how from nothing he made art”, this is how his relative Blanca Badillo remembers him, who in her networks shared the story of the character.

“Once he made me a sculpture in gray, I was amazed!!!. He painted on stone, wood, fabric, wherever he could. He made sculpture, his creativity never stopped,” Blanca relates in her publication of November 20.

Source: Antonieta Informa HR

Photos: Blanca Badillo (Via facebook