Have you seen "América Tropical"? It's a mural at ElPuebloLA in downtown Los Angeles painted by Mexican artist and muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. It's over 80 feet long!
Painted in 1932, it was meant to portray an idealized vision of Mexico for Olvera Street, the Mexican-themed marketplace in Los Angeles.
It was the height of the Depression, a time when many Mexicans were being deported. Siqueiros chose to tell the story of the impact of Imperialism in the Americas on the people of Mexico. Deemed to be too controversial, the mural was white-washed.
30 years later, the mural was rediscovered. The birth of the Chicano mural movement, which aimed to celebrate the Mexican American experience, revitalized interest in preserving it.
Getty worked with ElPuebloLA to conserve the mural, construct a protective canopy, provide access to the public, and tell its story through exhibits in the America Tropical Interpretive Center. It was unveiled to the public again in 2012.
The story teaches...
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