MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's most famous living painter, Francisco Toledo, 62, wants to block the opening of a fast food McDonald's restaurant in the center of the historic colonial city Oaxaca, according to a public letter published Saturday in local newspapers.

McDonald's - whose hamburgers and fries came under fire last week by nutritionists and overweight people for contributing to the alarming rise of obesity in the United States - promotes a "hazardous culture of eating", the letter said, DPA reported.

Other top painters and writers jointed in the appeal to authorities to reject the plans.

Oaxaca, among the most beautiful of Mexico's colonial cities, is protected as a world heritage site by UNESCO. In addition to its fame for the colonial architecture and the nearby Zapotec ruins at Monte Alban, the city is also known for its food.

Toledo, an activist for local culture who was born in Oaxaca Province, recently managed to block plans to turn a former Dominican cloister into a hotel. Today, the building serves as a leading museum.