It’s a bustling predawn morning in Black Rock City. Darkness clings to the sky as thousands of bikers zoom across a dusty alkaline flat in search of a sunrise set, hoping to outpace the gash of periwinkle light bleeding over the horizon. Spending sunrise at an art car is as customary as going out for brunch in the outside world. However, when your destination is itinerant and camouflaged by galaxies of LED lights, finding a particular art car in the dark can be a fool’s errand. Unless your destination is Mayan Warrior, that is.
Now on its third iteration, the Mexico City-based Mayan Warrior has become one of the most iconic (and contentious) mutant vehicles at Burning Man, the weeklong festival-meets-pop-up-city that sees over 70,000 so-called burners in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, also known as the playa. About 30 people are involved in the art car year-round, with a camp of 200 people, 70 of whom are crew members. Famous for its full-spectrum lasers provided by Lightwave International, the masterminds who brought the rainbow prism of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” to life during Roger Waters’ 2007-08 tour, it’s one of the easiest art cars to spot at night. In addition to a rainbow of radial lasers, a brilliant column of light shoots into the sky, à la the Sacramento Kings’ beam. Oh, and it spews fire too.
For electronic music lovers, Mayan Warrior is one of the most popular parties on the playa, not just because of the spectacle but because it’s hosted artists such as Carl Cox, Rüfüs du Sol, Black Coffee, John Summit and Monolink, along with burgeoning Mexican electronic DJs, around whom the initial concept was developed. For founder Pablo González Vargas, it began in 2011 at his first Burning Man.
“We were very impacted and impressed by how involved people are in making art at Burning Man,” González Vargas says. “They give their blood, sweat, and tears. … The cycle of inspiring and being inspired is very tangible there, and that cycle happened to me. I went to Burning Man in 2011, got inspired, and came back in 2012 [with an art car].”
The design was inspired by ancient Mesoamerican cultures, particularly Mayan masks and artifacts resembling astronaut-like figures, which González Vargas saw at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Combining modern technology and sacred geometry, Mayan Warrior showcased an illuminated mask facade mounted on a medium-duty truck. It became an ever-evolving work of art—painter Alex Grey adorned it with his distinct visionary artwork, a pyramid-like backdrop was added, and its dazzling lasers were installed in 2016. It even has a theme song titled “Here Comes the Warrior” by DJ/producer Rebolledo, who is Mayan Warrior’s music concept and lineup curator.
Painter Alex Grey adding details to the original Mayan Warrior art car.
(Courtesy of Pablo González Vargas)
For a decade, Mayan Warrior reigned as a sought-after mobile soundstage at Burning Man. By 2023, it was at the top of its game, touring the U.S. and Mexico for fundraising parties to help pay for its exorbitant expenses. And then, while driving from Guadalajara to Sayulita, Mexico, it caught fire from a combination of weight, heat and tire friction, and burned to the ground. The irony of it happening more than 1,500 miles away from Burning Man, where installations are ceremonially reduced to ash, is not lost.
“That was painful,” González Vargas reflects. “It was gone in 15 minutes. But I also felt liberated. It absorbs time and energy and attention, and it’s not my job; it’s my hobby. … I mean, the reward is great when you go to the Burn, but operating the outside events and fundraisers was tough for me, especially since you don’t make money at all the fundraisers.”
Based in Mexico City, González Vargas has a background in fintech, hospitality, marketing and media. In 2010, he founded Sr. Pago, a point-of-sale system, which he expanded concurrently with Mayan Warrior and sold three years ago. Among a litany of other ventures, he also founded the Latin American media outlet EXA Radio and TV. His newest endeavor is a subscription-based travel platform that offers members access to affordable rates for flights and hotels, which he dubbed “the Costco of travel.” He also collaborated on an interactive light and sound sculpture called Ilumina, which appeared at Burning Man in 2017 and 2022. When you combine this many irons in the fire with the amount of time, labor and money it takes to run a soundstage art car at Burning Man, it’s no wonder González Vargas felt liberated.
Designs for the original Mayan Warrior art car in 2012.
(Courtesy of Pablo González Vargas)
Meanwhile, rumors of drug cartel involvement and insurance fraud related to the art car fire swirled within the Burning Man community, which González Vargas quickly dispelled. And though he and his crew took time off from the onus of Mayan Warrior, it wasn’t long before designs were drafted and a new version was underway. Enter Tal Ohana, founder of the Los Angeles-based production company Stranger Than; with whom Mayan Warrior had been collaborating, who offered to produce the fundraising events at culturally or historically noteworthy locations in various cities. With Stranger Than; taking the helm on the ancillary events, a large portion of responsibility was lifted from González Vargas’ shoulders. The Mayan Warrior was back on the playa by 2024, looking flashier than ever — and it ought to, considering it cost nearly $3 million.
“It was an irresponsible financial decision,” González Vargas says. “My letter to Santa Claus would be, ‘Hey, I want enough money to go to Burning Man and pay for my whole crew and not have to do fundraisers and have fun and that’s it,’ but that’s not the reality.
“If we hit 4,000 people [at a fundraiser], we break even,” he continues, “because of the cost of bringing the car, plus the crew, plus the lighting, and local vendors. It’s a complicated business model, and restricted by the non-commodification Burning Man ideology, where you cannot make merch or have sponsors.”
Burning Man abides by 10 principles, one being decommodification. It’s meant to create an environment free of commercialism, advertising and monetary transactions. The only items available for purchase are ice and, occasionally, coffee; everything else is freely given by attendees. It also means that the art installations, vehicles and theme camps seen at Black Rock City cannot, or rather, should not, be funded through sponsorships or brand collaborations, hence why fundraisers are such a crucial aspect in keeping Mayan Warrior afloat.
Like any metropolis, Black Rock City is a diverse amalgamation of backgrounds, perspectives and demographics. Although you can’t please everyone, namely those who spurn the proliferation of electronic music at Burning Man, Mayan Warrior clearly pleases multitudes, as when the music is thumping, it’s rare to see an unpopulated dance floor. It’s also become a beloved stage for performers like British house and techno legend Carl Cox, who just released a track with Perry Farrell titled “Joya.” Despite attending Burning Man since 2008, his maiden voyage on Mayan Warrior was in 2024.
The original Mayan Warrior roaring down the playa at Burning Man in 2014.
(Courtesy of Pablo González Vargas)
“You just have to admire the ingenuity, sound, and amount of hours that go into creating something like that, just for people to enjoy,” Cox shares. “In the morning, it’s getting hot, there’s no lasers, no pyrotechnics, there’s nothing apart from people and a great sound system. People could truly understand the connection I have with music, people, the playa, and the stage that Mayan Warrior set for me. It was absolutely incredible.”
Burning Man is certainly not for everyone, but those who want to experience the blazing leviathan — minus the labor, dust storms and brutal ingress and egress — can attend its Los Angeles Halloween fundraiser, taking place in Grand Park on Oct. 25. Financial and physical expenditure notwithstanding, González Vargas says he wants to continue attending Burning Man and even hopes to bring his now newborn son in 2026. Regarding the future of Mayan Warrior, he aspires to expand genres — last year, Mita Gami and Meir Briskman played with an orchestra, and this year they experimented with an unnamed band — putting artists like Tame Impala, Khruangbin and Glass Beams on his lineup wish list. Although the fire taught González Vargas that the art car’s future is never certain, he knows that as long as it shows up to the playa, the music will follow, and so will its dance floor denizens.
“It doesn’t matter who you are; it’s what you deliver from your heart and soul,” Cox says. “When I got to play on Mayan Warrior, it was a wonderful moment. It was a vibe, and I felt like people discovered what Mayan Warrior stood for. … I was able to deliver something so special that even if I never played Mayan Warrior again, I was lucky enough to experience that moment and musical journey with all these people that chose to be there.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
