Guadalajara Tattoo Expo

Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico was truly a "hot spot" when flesh artists from around the world gathered to celebrate the 13th Annual Tattoo Expo. The event was put together by Sammy from Sammy Tattoo located in Guadalajara. Sammy invited me to be a guest judge for the tattoo contest with categories including Best Black and Gray, Best Color, Best Tribal and Best Portrait. I was honored to be part of the judging team.

I always enjoy returning to my hometown and visiting my familia, my old friends and, of course, some of the homies who still live in Barrio Tepeyac where I was born and raised. There were a few thing going on that weekend, including the celebration of the Mariachi Festival. This event is held every September in downtown Guadalajara and features different mariachis competing to try to be the best of the best. I also had the chance to visit some of the different art galleries in the area.

The best part, though, was being part of the Tattoo Expo. I got to meet great artists, especially the promoter Sammy, who's considered one of the best old school tattoo artists around, plus many more artists from around the world, including Japan, Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and the United States. There were, of course, many artists in town from all over Mexico.

So here's a quick pictorial on what I saw at the Expo and I hope that you guys can enjoy it as well. Also check out www.sammytattoo.com for more coverage of the event.