“Attacking a pinata is a lot like attacking life,” says Governor Lewis. “You go in blind, and there aren’t very many rules. You sort of have to swing at it, and if you hit it just the right way you get all the rewards of life. If you screw up and don’t use your instincts, you miss and you die.”
Marquez, mother of five, and Lewis, father of two, both began making pinatas for their children. “I could not afford to buy those $45 pinatas just so my kids could break them,” says Marquez. “I thought I could easily make one of those–and make it better.” Soon she was sculpting pinatas for the kids in her neighborhood, and then friends of friends began calling.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
As the deadline approached, the crew was way behind schedule due to the heat and a sudden change in where the pinata was to be unveiled. Finally the sculpture was loaded onto a truck, and the wind blew an eight-foot section onto the road, cracking it. By the time the pinata was reconstructed, delivered, and hoisted by crane above the waiting crowd, the media had moved on, putting the record temporarily out of reach. To become a Guinness record holder an applicant is required to submit two newspaper articles, as well as photos and two letters of confirmation from public officials. But Marquez and Lewis managed to get a high-profile spot at this weekend’s “Viva! Chicago” Latin Music Festival in Grant Park, and they got a soft-drink manufacturer to sponsor them.
