RAÍCES DE ALIANZAS

ROOTS OF ALIANZAS

A story of artistic inspiration for building intercultural partnerships.

The Painting

The Roots of Alianzas was painted by Americo Migone (1930-2013), a Canadian architect from Peru. However, the painting was not titled until it was found by Alianzas program director Gerardo Martinez, during a personal visit to Americo’s home.

These companion paintings feature imagery of corn plants — a prominent grain used in traditional Latino diets and known as ” the gods’ food” to the Aztecs — that are intertwined like ropes, symbolizing strength and unification.

The Roots of Alianzas painting in orange, light blue and lime green.
The Roots of Alianzas painting in brown, pinks, purple and dark blue.

The first painting was created using natural tones with brown, blue and purple, representing the Native Americans who occupied this land in the beginnings.

Americo then recreated it using vibrant colors to represent the mixing of cultures from the Spanish colonization.

the Artist

A self portrait of artist Americo Migone.

Artist Americo Migone was born in Lima, Perú in 1930. His passion for painting began when he was a young boy. He was naturally gifted, receiving no formal art education.

His other love — building and design — led him to pursue a Ph.D. in Architecture. Even then, Migone found ways to apply the painting techniques he had independently developed in his course of study.

As an artist, Migone communicated his sensitivity to life experiences through his work in drawings and sketches on canvas.

The Story

In the 1980’s, Americo Migone sought a better life for his family, left Lima, Peru and began a new life with his young family amongst a new culture, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

Gerardo first met the Migones after immigrating to Toronto, CAN in the 1990s, before moving to the U.S. years later. In the summer of 2011, Gerardo returned to Canada to visit his dear friends. After commenting on other paintings around the Migone house, Americo took Gerardo to the basement where other pieces were awaiting frames. Gerardo’s eyes were instantly drawn to two paintings of identical interwined forms, but distinguished by subtle variations in pattern and hue. They seemed to speak of strength, collaboration, cultures and unity — the same principles that the Alianzas program envisioned.

Americo was delighted to hear this and gifted the paintings to Gerardo — when he titled them, the Roots of Alianzas.