Burning Man staple, the Mayan Warrior Art Car, has been destroyed in a fire on the way to a fundraiser in Mexico.
The organizers had recently turned the celebrated car into a traveling performance venue, touring throughout Mexico, Europe, and the US, bringing their celebrated Burning Man culture to different geographic locations.
But while on the way to the Punta de Mita fundraiser, the car caught fire and was destroyed beyond repair.
The origins of the art car go all the way back to 2011 when a few Mexico City residents had a life-changing experience at Burning Man and were inspired to build the first version of the art car. Since then, they’ve driven the car from Mexico City to the Playa every year.
Past performers on the art car include DJ Tennis, Keinemusik (&ME, Rampa, and Adam Port), Damian Lazarus, Bedouin, Carlita, Francesca Lombardo, and more Burning Man favorites.
Money raised from these shows funded Mayan Warrior’s journey to Burning Man, with organizers telling Billboard that the cost ranged around $300,000 annually.
According to the announcement from Mayan Warrior, the final fundraising shows will be April 8 in Punta de Mita, July 8 in New York, and in Los Angeles on Halloween.
The Mayan Warrior team is devastated, but never defeated, writing, “Mayan Warrior was never just an art car to us – it was countless moments of laughter, wonder, tears, dancing, and connection. It left with it a beautiful trail of lifelong friendships for which we feel extraordinarily grateful. Regardless of the next chapter, I know that the soul of our Mayan Warrior art car lives in us, eternally.”
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Featured image from Mayan Warrior
