On a ride heading home on my 1s & 2s (read:bici) from CSULA I came across this mural at the corner of Valley Blvd and Soto St. It’s located on Valley on the wall that supports the bridge that allows Soto St to pass over, near Lincoln Park.
It shows a rather iconic image of Emiliano Zapata, leader of the Liberation Army of the South during the Mexican Revolution. Next to him is an image of a woman in a wrap of a traditional Native Mexican woman. Of course what sets this woman apart is the balaclava that has become synonymous with the EZLN, or Zapatistas, of Chiapas. Interspersed throughout her wrap are images tied to Mayan iconography and even the ubiquitous « LA » insignia near the bottom.
The text reading (bilingually), “A world where many worlds fit” plays to a key idea of Zapatista ideology that since it is the people that should (read:must) rule, through (very) direct democracy, this world would inherently contain many worlds in accordance to the needs/wishes of each autonomous group. Much different from the circus we have every few years here, otherwise known as electoral politics.
Knowing that *new* murals have become illegal in Los Angeles by work of a new ordinance I wonder how this one came to be. I assume it exists in the realm of illegality extra-legality/super-legality, whatever that means. (Thanks El Chavo!)
The artist would rather die on his feet than live on his knees, I’m guessing.
I saw this last night! It reminds me a lot of the style of murals I saw in Belfast and Derry:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deweydell/174321289/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planetadventure/187639123/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/once_a_day/2944893802/
I prefer to call it extra-legal, like it’s something extra-good, a bonus that laws can’t touch. Or maybe super-legal could also work! 😉
Oh man I like « super-legal » !!! Although « extra-legal » does make sense.
Damn it all…my vote is for « super-legal »
Saw that this morning and wanted to get a few pictures of it before it got buffed. Thanks for posting these online!
They dont get buffed unless some dolt gets a hair up their but and complains to code enforcement, the city behaves in such a lax manner because of the lack of a mural permit.
That “no murals are legal in LA since 02” nonsense is funny to me. ELACAMP was founded around that time, so technically we have not painted a legal mural in the city, including the 2 for mayor V and a half dozen ones for councilpeople in several districts. Recently we have asked for a councilperson resolution before we paint to be safe, and every single staffer tells us this is a non issue.
It looks like they even projected that mural image before they painted (the Zapapta has a well executed color by numbers look to it), which means it took a lot of time and energy. Nice either way.
Great mural. Love the strong, defiant, bold red. Pregunta: Why does it seem that Zapata is more revered than his counterpart from the North, Pancho Villa?
Zapata represent a more just state of affairs for peasants and is a big symbol (a god?) to the EZLN.
It was an awesome mural…too bad they’ve already painted over it 🙁
i know who did it, it was done with a transfer technique, sign painters use it, it done in about 4 hours, specifically for the “Annual Zapata March” that comemorates this Revolucionary-it was done by local youth fed up at the system and their so-called leaders- no permission is required, this is our hood! the city didnt erase it, it was some punk-ass haters that dont erase the liquor, alcohol, strip joint signs, banners and billboards all over the city and directly across the street from that wall- we need to stop asking for permission from people who really dont give a shit and start doing for our selves and our community, thank you for posting this!! the womyn by the way is Comandante Ramona from the EZLN,,,,,”No Compromise!”