The artistic origins of the winner of the San Miguel de Allende Youth Award for Social Commitment could not be more consistent. Joaquin is a person who has dedicated his life to preserving the artistic traditions of our small and picturesque town and whose work is gaining momentum every day reviving traditions that would otherwise have become extinct. 

It was when Joaquín was seven years old that his grandmother heard an announcement on the radio that would change his life: Don Emigdio, the legendary creator of Las Estrellas de La Alborada, was looking for young apprentices. 

So grandmother and grandson headed to the workshop. Don Emigdio and a passion for making stars would be born for Joaquín that would never leave him. The boy's enthusiasm for learning this art was such that for a long time he went every day to learn this trade. As he grew up, he became involved in organizing the logistics of the tradition that year after year brings so much joy to the people of San Miguel. 

For Joaquín, being a young artist implies knowing and praising the traditions and cultures of his place of origin. He does not want his art to become something sacred and distant for the audience. He does not want his pieces to be exhibited in cold museums far from the audience. 

No, what he wants is to create living art, art that breathes and art that pulses with the rhythm of the people who live with creation. Piñatas that break, stars that dance, mats that are stepped on. Always in motion: living art. 

Among her plans is to make a monumental 250-meter carpet during Holy Week for the bringing of the Lord of the Column, a tradition that is about to celebrate its 200th anniversary. To make it, she will need the help of volunteers to decorate this beautiful carpet using traditional herbs such as chamomile. 

Joaquin's passion has taken him far: He has spread traditions of yesteryear that would otherwise likely have been forgotten and now he is continuing his legacy as a way of giving back.

He teaches and gives workshops to young people and children who, like him, had an insatiable curiosity that led them to learn about and fall in love with their own roots and to spread this knowledge to the world from generation to generation.