From ashes to dust: How Pablo González Vargas and Mayan Warrior lived to fight another Burning Man

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Black Rock City is already buzzing with activity before dawn. As the sky remains dark, thousands of cyclists race across the dusty playa, trying to reach a good spot to watch the sunrise. Gathering at an art car for sunrise is a tradition, much like going to brunch in the real world. But finding a specific art car in the darkness, especially one that moves and is covered in lights, can be nearly impossible – unless you’re looking for the Mayan Warrior.

The Mayan Warrior, a well-known art car at the Burning Man festival, is now in its third version. Burning Man draws over 70,000 people to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert each year. Around 30 people work on the Mayan Warrior throughout the year, supported by a larger camp of 200 at the festival, including a crew of 70. It’s easily recognizable at night thanks to its incredible full-spectrum lasers—the same technology used to create the famous rainbow prism effect during Roger Waters’ 2007-08 tour. The vehicle features a dazzling array of lasers and shoots a bright beam of light into the air, similar to the Sacramento Kings’ light show, and even shoots flames!

Mayan Warrior is a hugely popular electronic music party at Burning Man, known for its impressive displays and incredible DJ lineups. Over the years, it’s hosted world-renowned artists like Carl Cox, Rüfüs du Sol, Black Coffee, John Summit, and Monolink, while also showcasing up-and-coming electronic DJs from Mexico – a concept that inspired its creation. The party was started in 2011 by Pablo González Vargas after his first experience at Burning Man.

González Vargas was struck by the incredible dedication of artists at Burning Man. People pour their hearts and souls into their creations, and there’s a clear sense of mutual inspiration. He experienced this firsthand – after being inspired by the event in 2011, he returned in 2012 with his own art car.

Mayan Warrior’s design draws heavily from the art and culture of ancient Mayan civilizations. Artist González Vargas was particularly inspired by Mayan masks and sculptures of figures that reminded him of astronauts, which he saw at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology. The artwork blends this ancient inspiration with modern technology and geometric patterns. It features an illuminated mask mounted on a truck, and has grown over time with contributions from artist Alex Grey, who painted visionary designs on it, and the addition of a pyramid-shaped backdrop and dazzling lasers installed in 2016. The piece is completed by a custom theme song, “Here Comes the Warrior,” created by DJ and producer Rebolledo, who also curates the music for the Mayan Warrior experience.

For ten years, Mayan Warrior was a popular traveling sound system at Burning Man. By 2023, it had become highly successful, touring the U.S. and Mexico to raise money for its significant costs. Sadly, while driving between Guadalajara and Sayulita in Mexico, the vehicle caught fire due to a combination of its weight, the heat, and friction from the tires, and was completely destroyed. It’s notable that this happened over 1,500 miles from Burning Man, a place where art installations are intentionally burned as part of the event.

“It was a difficult experience,” González Vargas says, recalling a recent challenge. “It only lasted 15 minutes, but it was also a relief. Preparing for and participating takes a lot of time, energy, and focus, and it’s something I do for fun, not for work. The payoff is amazing when you finally get to the Burn event itself, but organizing the related events and fundraisers was hard, particularly because they don’t generate any profit.”

González Vargas, based in Mexico City, has a diverse background in fields like finance, hotels, marketing, and media. He started Sr. Pago, a payment system for businesses, in 2010 and grew it alongside his Mayan Warrior business before selling it recently. He’s also launched other successful projects, including the Latin American media company EXA Radio and TV. His latest venture is a travel platform offering members discounted flights and hotels – he calls it “the Costco of travel.” In addition to his business pursuits, he collaborated on Ilumina, an interactive art installation that was featured at the Burning Man festival in both 2017 and 2022. Juggling so many projects, along with the significant effort required to maintain a large art car at Burning Man, led González Vargas to feel a sense of freedom.

Following the fire that destroyed the art car, rumors spread within the Burning Man community about possible involvement from drug cartels and insurance fraud, but González Vargas quickly denied these claims. Although he and his team needed a break from working on the Mayan Warrior, they soon began designing a new version. Tal Ohana, founder of the Los Angeles production company Stranger Than, stepped in to help. The two groups had already been working together, and Stranger Than offered to organize fundraising events in interesting and historic places around the country. This took a significant burden off González Vargas’ shoulders. By 2024, the Mayan Warrior was back at Burning Man, more elaborate than ever – a fitting appearance, considering the rebuild cost almost $3 million.

González Vargas admits it was a financially reckless choice. He jokingly says if he could ask Santa for one thing, it would be enough money for him and his friends to go to Burning Man without needing to worry about fundraising – just pure fun. But he acknowledges that’s not realistic.

He explained that the event needs around 4,000 attendees to cover its expenses, including transportation of the art car, the team working on it, lighting, and payments to local businesses. It’s a challenging operation because of Burning Man’s principles – they can’t sell merchandise or accept sponsorships.

Burning Man operates on 10 guiding principles, including a commitment to decommodification – the idea of creating a space free from typical commercial influences like advertising and sales. Participants can only buy ice and sometimes coffee; everything else is shared or gifted. This extends to the art, vehicles, and camps at the event, which are ideally funded through donations and fundraising – like the efforts to support Mayan Warrior – rather than sponsorships or brand deals.

Black Rock City, like any large city, is filled with people from all walks of life. While not everyone is happy with everything – some dislike the focus on electronic music at Burning Man – Mayan Warrior is clearly a popular spot. When the music’s playing, the dance floor is almost always packed. The stage has become a favorite for well-known artists, including Carl Cox, a British house and techno DJ, who recently collaborated with Perry Farrell on a new track called “Joya.” Although Cox has been going to Burning Man since 2008, he first performed on the Mayan Warrior stage in 2024.

Cox expresses deep appreciation for the creativity, quality, and effort involved in building such an experience, simply for the enjoyment of others. He describes a particularly moving performance where, despite the harsh morning heat and lack of visual effects, a strong sound system and the energy of the crowd created a powerful connection. He felt a true bond with the music, the people, the unique desert environment (‘the playa’), and the Mayan Warrior stage, calling the experience ‘absolutely incredible.’

Burning Man isn’t for everyone, but if you’re curious about the experience without the hard work and harsh conditions, you can get a taste at a Halloween fundraiser in Los Angeles’ Grand Park on October 25th. Despite the cost and effort involved, the event’s organizer plans to continue attending Burning Man, and hopes to bring his young son in 2026. He also wants to evolve the musical offerings of his art car, Mayan Warrior, having already experimented with orchestral performances and new bands, and dreams of featuring artists like Tame Impala, Khruangbin, and Glass Beams. While recent events highlighted the uncertainty of the art car’s future, he’s confident that as long as Mayan Warrior appears at Burning Man, the music and dancing will follow.

According to Cox, it’s not about who you are as an artist, but the passion you put into your performance. He describes playing at Mayan Warrior as a particularly special experience, a moment where the true spirit of the event really connected with the audience. He felt he was able to share something truly unique, and he’s grateful for that experience and the connection with everyone who was there, even if he never gets to play there again.

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2025-10-23 13:38