Tyler Morning Telegraph
"The meditating woman at the center of the mural is connecting to the world around her. She's surrounded by various animals, which serve as symbols for characteristics or needs in the world.
"The images have layers of meaning," he said. "There's meaning to the colors and shapes, meaning to the strokes."
Above her head are an owl and a parrot.
Owls are considered wise. They can see all the way around themselves and are fearless hunters.
"Hispanic cultures thought they used to live in the underworld, and they traveled back and forth as connectors with the dead," he said, adding they are a misunderstood bird. "They are the quietist birds. They get to their prey without their prey knowing. They calculate their attack."
The parrot has longevity, and they are also adaptable. They do well in captivity and can survive in many environments.
"They are very persistent on trying to get what they want," Sanchez said. "It's a bird that is used as a connection between the person and the wild. You can teach them how to talk."
That symbolism is the exact opposite of a bird at the far left of the mural - a resplendent quetzal.
The vibrant green and red bird, native to South America, is a symbol of freedom.
It does not live in captivity. If kept too long, it kills itself. For Sanchez, it also symbolizes living in the moment.
"It was sacred for the Mayan culture, and it symbolizes freedom - the unconditional love of freedom," he said.
The mural also has a coyote. It's a smart, curious animal that is hard to tame.
"Every time I've seen a coyote, it's magical," Sanchez said. "They stop and look at you, and analyze you and size you up. It doesn't seem like they are trying to attack you, It's more like they want to tell you something. They are not big animals, but they are powerful."
There's also a deer, symbolizing respecting the resources that sustain life, as well as a turtle carrying an hourglass, showing the movement of time.
"All the tools are available - it's waiting on you to decide to do it," Sanchez said. "The power is in you, and you have to find it. We have the capacity to do what we put our minds to do. We have these opportunities in Tyler and in America - it's waiting for you."