Americana was born in 2010 as a living platform for what still has no space.
For emerging artists who burn to create but find no stage.
For those who need a place where expression needs no filters, no permission.
Americana is community. It is movement.
It began as a magazine, but it was always more:
an open canvas, a graphic scream, a refuge for the urgent, the raw, the beautiful, the new.
Here, sculpture, design, poetry, sound, image, and ideas not yet shaped all find their place. Everything that vibrates, everything born from the edge, from the gut.
Every corner of Americana becomes part of our expression. Every gaze, every stroke, every angle — reimagined.
Our mission: to ignite the desire to create without limits.
”◢ We are catalysts, mentors, and co-conspirators of every American soul. We activate cities, connect communities, open spaces, weave networks. From the barrio to the spotlight. From Guadalajara to the world. ◣
Una red viva de artistas, gestores y creadores que creemos en el arte como fuerza de cambio. Somos voces gráficas, ojos fotográficos, manos que pintan, esculpen, escriben y hacen vibrar el sonido. Diseñadores, ilustradores, fotógrafos, músicos, poetas, performers, escultores. Una comunidad de creación libre que no cabe en una sola forma ni en un solo idioma.
En el corazón de esta red estamos Giancarlo y nosotros fundadores. Cuatro visiones que se unieron para crear, conectar y transformar.
Giancarlo imaginó este movimiento con nosotros. Hoy, su ausencia es presencia.
This new cycle beats for him and with him.
His passion and radiant wildness still ignite this movement. The one of bold ideas, raw energy, untamed creativity, and a vision that wove everything together. His fire, his luminous intensity our spark, our guiding light.
Always him ✨
In memoriam Heir to the iconic Recco restaurant, founded by his father Luigi, he was a visionary who transformed Guadalajara’s gastronomic and cultural scene.
With a background in gastronomy and marketing from Europe, Giancarlo gave Recco a unique identity, turning it into much more than a restaurant; it became a meeting point for generations, cultures, and creative souls. There, the city’s elite mingled with beloved local characters like the Mazapán family, who brought not only homemade treats, mazapanes, chewing gum, and lollipops, but also joy, authenticity, and a presence that became an integral part of the place's soul. They even appeared as extras in several of the restaurant’s photo shoots, always adding their charm and spontaneity.
Beyond Recco, Giancarlo was a pillar of Colectivo Americana, a beloved ally, mentor, and creative force who propelled projects with vision, sensitivity, and a deep love for the local. His passion, generosity, and ability to connect ideas with people left an indelible mark on the city's art and culture.
His legacy is a testament that when life is lived with purpose, its impact transcends time.
Blessed be. We miss you, Gianca. We’ll see each other again.
I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in Colonia Americana, a neighborhood that, without me knowing it, shaped my visual education from the very beginning.
I studied Marketing at the University of Guadalajara, but my true education came from the streets, from concerts, photography, public spaces, conversations, and silences.
From a young age, I felt deeply connected to aesthetics and symbolism. A film like Run Lola Run was a turning point for me; it blew my mind. I didn’t yet know that what I was feeling had a name, but I understood that art could be everywhere: in the editing, the music, the framing, the raw performance by Franka Potente, and in that electric version of Berlin, a city that remains one of my favorites to this day. From that moment on, cinema became a major source of inspiration for me: films that don’t just entertain, but shake you, visually powerful, with depth, with soul.
My professional journey began at the BDP agency, where I solidified my profile as a creative strategist and met key people along the way, including my lifelong friend Oswaldo, and Melisa, a brilliant mind with whom I would later co-found Colectivo Americana, a project devoted to reclaiming public spaces through art. I was also a partner at Cocina Mona alongside Giancarlo, an underground success that blended gastronomy, concept, and emotion. Giancarlo was also my first great mentor; he taught me that authenticity needs no introduction.
Today, I work as a creative consultant and strategist, helping projects and brands find their center, their shape, and their impact.
I’m obsessed with architecture, minimalist spaces, travel, music, and everything that evokes a sense of sensitivity. I don’t like to accumulate things, but I do love collecting ideas, moments, and meaningful projects.
I’m driven by loyalty, coherence, and self-awareness. I have no tolerance for double standards or people who preach what they don’t live. And there’s a phrase that guides me like a compass:
“Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.”
My dream is clear: a city full of trees, full of art, and streets that tell you stories without saying a single word.
Always creating, always connecting, always searching for new ways to inhabit with meaning.
From graffiti and visual communication to digital product design, my path blends creative expression with strategy and user experience innovation. In Germany, I’ve led projects for tech startups, cultural institutions, and global brands, including Volkswagen Group and Mercedes-Benz.
I focus my energy on integrating AI into design processes, developing solutions that enhance creativity, and fostering data-driven approaches within interdisciplinary teams. I believe the future of design lies in the fusion of intuition, data, and collective intelligence.
Beyond my work in AI and design, I lead activism initiatives in Berlin that focus on environmental causes and animal protection. I believe in design as a tool for cultural, ethical, and aesthetic transformation.
I’m one of the founding voices of Colectivo Americana, where I lead its strategic vision in design, communication, and innovation. I shape its visual identity with clarity and character, from graphic systems to brand storytelling, I define a language that merges beauty, cultural activation, and a deep intention for change.
I don’t stop at closed doors or difficult paths. I create, persist, fight, and hold. I design to protect nature, our Mother Earth. I see design as a way to channel sensitivity, justice, and beauty toward more conscious futures.
My work moves between the digital and the physical, the emotional and the functional. I’m in constant search — integrating the spiritual into the creative, the sensitive into the structured. And when I’m not designing… I’m by a lake or swimming in the sea, feeling the sun. I’m dancing at my favorite club, feeling the music, or reading philosophy to explore the big questions. Always creating, always feeling. Always in connection with Pachamama. 🌱
Melisa M. Pelayo aka Meli Miniki
