Presentation: Martha Ramirez-Oropeza

For the presentation, I have chosen to research Martha Ramirez-Oropeza, who is coincidently  a professor here at UCLA. She is not only a professor, but a muralist and philosopher. The class she teaches on campus is called Day of the Death Ritual, which is one of the only classes in the nation that focus on the Nahuatl pre-Hispanic codices of Mexico. 

Ever since I took her class, Day of the Death Ritual during Fall Quarter, I felt a great connection with the work she does. Even if the course did focus on the big celebration from Mexico, Dia de los muertos, it was very life changing in which broadened my perspective  because I got to learn an actual ritual in the her native tongue, Nahuatl. 

I’m originally from Mexico, therefore I believe that this is one of the main reasons why I would love to focus on Professor’s Martha’s murals. Her murals reflect her knowledge about the ancient manuscripts called Codices, which she learned when she worked in Mascarones theatre group in Mexico. I believe that her murals are unique, vibrant in color, and reflect those traditional stories that were passed down orally from generation to generation by indigenous villages. But also portray a more deeper meaning, apart from their superficial visualization. I feel that by researching more about her great work in SPARC at UCLA and Mexico, will actually make me feel closer to my indigenous roots that are slowly being forgotten.