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The History of  Mexico: From the Conquest to the Future, Diego Rivera, 1929-1930

Mexico’s most popular and well known artist is Diego Rivera. He is famous because he helped Mexicans realize their identity. Rivera was a champion in the cause of Mexican Nationalism a movement which developed in wake of a long period of significant amounts of foreign intervention and meddling in Mexican affairs.  The Mexican government Rivera was commissioned by to paint murals depicting traditional Mexican culture to help create a sense of national identity. Many of his murals celebrated Mexican history instead of sweeping it under the rug and pretending it didn’t exist. Rivera’s mural History of Mexico is a non-idealized portrayal of the history of Mexico from the conquest on forward. This and other murals taught Mexicans to be proud of their indigenous and Mestizo heritage.

To Ace Out A Homeboy, Manuel Cruz, 1974

Manuel Cruz is a modern day Chicano artist who also paints murals with indigenous Mexican themes, though these are usually on the outsides of buildings. His mural To Ace Out A Homeboy,  like the murals of Rivera, is also a cry for Mexicans and Chicanos to remember their roots . It depicts a larger- than- life Aztec warrior holding the body of a young Chicano who was shot and killed by two gang member driving away in a car. The Warrior is looking sadly and intently at the viewer as if to say “When will this end? When will brother stop killing brother? When will Mexico’s descendants remember their noble past and take pride in it?”

The works of Rivera and Cruz both share a common message, and that message is identity. These two murals are important because they demonstrate the capability of art in the creation of identity. It can give people something to believe in. You can’t really have a firm understanding of who you are and what possibilities lie in your future unless you know where you came from.