Jiménez collected these from cantinas, markets, prisons, and construction sites. He argued this was not pornography; it was folklore .
Despite his success, Jiménez faces hurdles: funding for traditional arts is scarce, and some purists argue modernization dilutes picardía ’s essence. Yet, he counters that adaptation is survival. "Would our ancestors recognize a VR picarón ? Probably not. But they’d nod if they saw youth laughing, learning, and fighting back." i--- Picardia Mexicana De Armando Jimenez.pdf -EXCLUSIVE
Armando Jiménez, 42, didn’t start as a picarón (a term for a picardía performer). A former graphic designer, he discovered his passion for cultural preservation during a 2010 trip to Oaxaca, where he witnessed a street performance of picardía . "The humor was raw, the stories timeless," he recalls. "I realized this was being forgotten, and I had to do something about it." Yet, he counters that adaptation is survival