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Crystal Hernandez

Professor Batty

English 101

1 March 2018

A Mural Worth a Thousand Stories

Sometimes I feel that growing up in Los Angeles has made me take so many things for

granted. I am surrounded by Mexican-American culture, the food is great and buildings are

constantly being renovated; they’re ever changing. Life in Los Angeles is so fast paced that most

of the time people forget to take a second to really take in their surroundings. There are many

pieces of art right in front of us at any given moment. Whether it’s a new art installation, a

billboard or a mural, artists are constantly trying to create art that sparks up a conversation.

Although some may say that murals are not valuable pieces of art, I argue that they are more than

art because they can represent a community’s history.

There is a mural located in Ruben F. Salazar park. It is called “The Wall That Speaks,

Sings, and Shouts”. Artist Paul Botello was commissioned to make the artwork in early 2000’s

by Norteño band Los Tigres Del Norte. The mural has many points of interest including a family

in the foreground and center of the whole mural, a line of men and women on the left hand side,

and an apple tree in the right background. Botello uses lots of blues, greens, browns and golds.

The blue is used as a background color and for clothes. The line of people are also painted in a

monotone blue color. I think he chose this color to use throughout the piece so it would all go

together and flow. Although blue is usually seen as a ‘sad’ color I believe he used it to symbolize

unity and togetherness. His use of green in the tree and grass brings the painting to life and
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makes it vibrant and alive. The gold is used in the sun and to highlight where the sun would

actually hit on the figures. The use of gold gives it depth and makes it more realistic. Lastly the

thing that really stood out to me was his use of brown skin tones. Every person (minus those

painted in blue) have varying skin tones ranging from light to almost a red-brown. I believed he

chose the variation in skin tones because he wanted everyone in the latinx community to feel

represented. Overall the mural has many latinx motifs including but not limited to a band who’s

frontman is playing the accordion, a couple dancing where the man is wearing a tejana (a

traditional Mexican cowboy style hat), and what seems to be an aztec god wearing a tigers mask

who also has the Virgin Mary tattooed on his arm. Many people might see this artwork as too

bold or not ‘for’ them, but as a Mexican-American living in L.A. it is nice to see something that

reminds you of family and the culture you share.

On the left hand side there is a line of men and a woman holding a child. They’re all

painted a monotone blue and the get smaller as they move into the background. They are in a

diagonal line. At the back of the line there is a person with an eagle head holding the sun. I

believe here the artist is trying to convey the feeling of many generations coming from a time

where they believed in human/ animal hybrid type gods that ruled the sun. Towards the front of

the line of people there is a man holding a scroll that reads “Necesito Mi Libertad” which

translates to “I need my liberty”. I think this is a very big and relevant concept especially today

under the current president latinx people feel like they need to hide for fear of being deported. In

Celebrating the Chicana/o murals of L.A., some lost forever, with '¡Murales Rebeldes!’​ Jessica

Hough and Guisella Torre said ​"These wall paintings are and can become springboards for

necessary community dialogues about racism, exclusion, power, violence." I completely agree
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that latinx people use the murals as a way to get their voice to be heard. A mural with vibrant

colors and a strong message can be super empowering and could potentially get a huge

following. Possibly even bringing more attention to the artist and the message they’re trying to

get across. Although visitors will only see the mural once, maybe twice whilst visiting. The

locals see it everyday and it could possibly start conversations about topics that may be

controversial.

Although not everyone who sees a mural painted for a specific community will

understand its full meaning or message. I believe those who do are greatly impacted by the

feelings and thoughts that are provoked. After all if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a

mural is worth a thousand stories. A thousand stories of the artist’s ancestors, of the community,

of everyone and anyone who can relate to the mural. A thousand stories that got us to where we

are today, a tight knit community with conversation that sparks from beautiful artwork.
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Work Cited

French, Agatha. “Celebrating the Chicana/o Murals of L.A., Some Lost Forever, with '¡Murales
Rebeldes!'.” ​Los Angeles Times​, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2017, 10:00,
www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-murales-rebeldes-20170817-story.html​.

Botello, Paul, Gerardo Herrera, Adalberto Ortiz, and Gustave Sanchez. ​The Wall That
Speaks,Sings and Shouts​. 2001. Acrylic on stucco. Ruben F. Salazar Park 3864 Whittier
Boulevard Los Angeles, CA.

Appendix