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Community Highlight

Las Casitas Gathering Space Becomes a Canvas for Local Pride

Painted by neighbors, for neighbors

A worn, graffiti-marked wall on Las Casitas Drive is now covered in sunflowers, swirling skies and rows of colorful casitas. Getting there took a year of cleanups, workshops and early mornings.

Read the Story Share a Story Idea
The finished mural at Las Casitas Park, with a rising sun, sunflowers and a yellow heart.
Scroll
2025

The first neighborhood cleanups began in the fall.

2

Weeks of morning painting in August to finish the wall.

50

Aloe vera plants given away at the reveal.

Sept. 5

Neighbors celebrated the finished mural.

It Started With a Cleanup

Trash bags first, paintbrushes later

In fall 2025, the City’s Parks & Recreation Department asked local muralist Lorraine Urquidi to help with the park’s walls, which were tagged with graffiti and starting to wear down.

Urquidi and a group of residents, teachers, artists, farmers, architects and community leaders started meeting at the park to pick up trash, trim trees and plan what the space could become. Then came the base coats. Rolling paint over the rough, uneven block walls was slow work.

Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Neighbors Became Ambassadors

Group texts, workshops and a plan

The volunteers started calling themselves the Las Casitas Community Ambassadors. They kept in touch through email and group texts and showed up whenever there was work to do.

Urquidi reached out to the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, which provided technical assistance and planning support. That helped the group host workshops on sustainability, urban gardening, permaculture and mural art, where neighbors shared what they wanted to see at the park.

Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Inspired by Home

From Las Casitas Drive to Juárez

In the workshops, some residents asked for a design that connected them to their roots in Juárez. Others asked for words of inspiration.

The design pulls from two places: the colorful homes on Las Casitas Drive and the small, bright casitas of Juárez you can see driving along I-10. The owner of the home next to the park gave the group permission to paint and suggested adding an inspirational quote.

Photos: Lorraine Urquidi

Many Hands, One Wall

Five mornings a week, 7 to 11 a.m.

In August 2026, the group set aside two weeks to finish. Volunteers painted from 7 to 11 a.m. to stay ahead of the heat and get good light for picking colors.

Artists, architects, farmers, healers and caregivers worked side by side. Some had painted murals before. For others, it was a first. Some of the helpers were as young as 2 years old.

Each morning started with a look at the wall and a question: what’s missing? A house without windows. A home that needed a driveway, or a garden.

Photos: Lorraine Urquidi
Wide view of the finished mural, with a swirling sky above rows of colorful casitas.
The finished wall at Las Casitas Park

Reveal Day!

Sept. 5, 2026

Neighbors and supporters gathered at the park to see the finished mural for the first time. Volunteers had invited guests by going door to door and handing out flyers around town.

The afternoon brought music, a reading, garden talks and plenty of hugs.

Live Music

Singer Chrissy Gurrola performed for the crowd.

A Reading

Urquidi read from The Architecture of Change: Building a Better World, a book of stories about communities changing their own neighborhoods.

Garden Talks

Resident Jesus Rodriguez spoke about composting and healthy soil, and the group talked about the deep-rooted mesquite tree and how it thrives in a dry climate.

Words of Encouragement

Motivational speaker Eddie Gzus spoke to the crowd.

Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Aloe Plants Found New Homes

50 plants, all donated by neighbors

Before reveal day, volunteers potted 50 aloe vera plants donated by residents, using soil and compost from local farmers. The plants were given away at the celebration, along with a seed swap.

Along the way, the group also planted herbs like cilantro, mint and rosemary to share with neighbors.

What Changed

More neighbors, less trash

As the mural grew, Urquidi’s project report notes less trash and less vandalism at the park. Drivers slowed down to take a look.

Having volunteers at the park most mornings also meant someone was nearby if an older neighbor needed water or a hand.

A longtime neighbor across the street said the project transformed her street.

From Lorraine Urquidi’s project report

Thank You, Las Casitas!

This wall belongs to all of you

  • Artist Lorraine Urquidi
  • The Las Casitas Community Ambassadors and every volunteer who picked up a brush
  • The residents who donated plants and the local farmers who shared soil and compost
  • The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program

Come see it in person on Las Casitas Drive in Sunland Park.

Get Directions
Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Tap any photo to see it full size

Photos courtesy of artist Lorraine Urquidi. See more of her work: facebook.com/lolaurquidi

Have a Community Highlight Idea?

Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, we want to hear it

Know a neighbor, group, school, business or project doing good work in Sunland Park or Santa Teresa? Send it our way. Big or small, every idea gets a look.

1

The Story

What’s happening and why neighbors should know about it.

2

The People

Who’s involved and how we can reach them.

3

Where & When

Where in Sunland Park or Santa Teresa, and when it happened or is happening.

4

Photos

3 to 5 clear photos and who took them. Only send photos you have permission to share.

Opens an email with the questions already filled in. Just answer them and attach your photos.

Community Highlight

Las Casitas Park Has a New Mural!

Painted by neighbors, for neighbors

A worn, graffiti-marked wall on Las Casitas Drive is now covered in sunflowers, swirling skies and rows of colorful casitas. Getting there took a year of cleanups, workshops and early mornings.

Read the Story Share a Story Idea
The finished mural at Las Casitas Park, with a rising sun, sunflowers and a yellow heart.
Scroll
2025

The first neighborhood cleanups began in the fall.

2

Weeks of morning painting in August to finish the wall.

50

Aloe vera plants given away at the reveal.

Sept. 5

Neighbors celebrated the finished mural.

It Started With a Cleanup

Trash bags first, paintbrushes later

In fall 2025, the City’s Parks & Recreation Department asked local muralist Lorraine Urquidi to help with the park’s walls, which were tagged with graffiti and starting to wear down.

Urquidi and a group of residents, teachers, artists, farmers, architects and community leaders started meeting at the park to pick up trash, trim trees and plan what the space could become. Then came the base coats. Rolling paint over the rough, uneven block walls was slow work.

Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Neighbors Became Ambassadors

Group texts, workshops and a plan

The volunteers started calling themselves the Las Casitas Community Ambassadors. They kept in touch through email and group texts and showed up whenever there was work to do.

Urquidi reached out to the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, which provided technical assistance and planning support. That helped the group host workshops on sustainability, urban gardening, permaculture and mural art, where neighbors shared what they wanted to see at the park.

Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Inspired by Home

From Las Casitas Drive to Juárez

In the workshops, some residents asked for a design that connected them to their roots in Juárez. Others asked for words of inspiration.

The design pulls from two places: the colorful homes on Las Casitas Drive and the small, bright casitas of Juárez you can see driving along I-10. The owner of the home next to the park gave the group permission to paint and suggested adding an inspirational quote.

Photos: Lorraine Urquidi

Many Hands, One Wall

Five mornings a week, 7 to 11 a.m.

In August 2026, the group set aside two weeks to finish. Volunteers painted from 7 to 11 a.m. to stay ahead of the heat and get good light for picking colors.

Artists, architects, farmers, healers and caregivers worked side by side. Some had painted murals before. For others, it was a first. Some of the helpers were as young as 2 years old.

Each morning started with a look at the wall and a question: what’s missing? A house without windows. A home that needed a driveway, or a garden.

Photos: Lorraine Urquidi
Wide view of the finished mural, with a swirling sky above rows of colorful casitas.
The finished wall at Las Casitas Park

Reveal Day!

Sept. 5, 2026

Neighbors and supporters gathered at the park to see the finished mural for the first time. Volunteers had invited guests by going door to door and handing out flyers around town.

The afternoon brought music, a reading, garden talks and plenty of hugs.

Live Music

Singer Chrissy Gurrola performed for the crowd.

A Reading

Urquidi read from The Architecture of Change: Building a Better World, a book of stories about communities changing their own neighborhoods.

Garden Talks

Resident Jesus Rodriguez spoke about composting and healthy soil, and the group talked about the deep-rooted mesquite tree and how it thrives in a dry climate.

Words of Encouragement

Motivational speaker Eddie Gzus spoke to the crowd.

Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Aloe Plants Found New Homes

50 plants, all donated by neighbors

Before reveal day, volunteers potted 50 aloe vera plants donated by residents, using soil and compost from local farmers. The plants were given away at the celebration, along with a seed swap.

Along the way, the group also planted herbs like cilantro, mint and rosemary to share with neighbors.

What Changed

More neighbors, less trash

As the mural grew, Urquidi’s project report notes less trash and less vandalism at the park. Drivers slowed down to take a look.

Having volunteers at the park most mornings also meant someone was nearby if an older neighbor needed water or a hand.

A longtime neighbor across the street said the project transformed her street.

From Lorraine Urquidi’s project report

Thank You, Las Casitas!

This wall belongs to all of you

  • Artist Lorraine Urquidi
  • The Las Casitas Community Ambassadors and every volunteer who picked up a brush
  • The residents who donated plants and the local farmers who shared soil and compost
  • The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program

Come see it in person on Las Casitas Drive in Sunland Park.

Get Directions
Photo: Lorraine Urquidi

Tap any photo to see it full size

Photos courtesy of artist Lorraine Urquidi. See more of her work: facebook.com/lolaurquidi

Have a Community Highlight Idea?

Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, we want to hear it

Know a neighbor, group, school, business or project doing good work in Sunland Park or Santa Teresa? Send it our way. Big or small, every idea gets a look.

1

The Story

What’s happening and why neighbors should know about it.

2

The People

Who’s involved and how we can reach them.

3

Where & When

Where in Sunland Park or Santa Teresa, and when it happened or is happening.

4

Photos

3 to 5 clear photos and who took them. Only send photos you have permission to share.

Opens an email with the questions already filled in. Just answer them and attach your photos.