Roberto Tejada: Celia Alvarez Muñoz

Cecilia Alvarez Muñoz was born along the U.S.-Mexican border of El Paso Texas. Much of her artwork is centered around the lessons she’s learned throughout life and the obstacles that have shaped her upbringing in this country. Alvarez Muñoz is interested in the history and culture of American society and adds a twist of this passion and her narrative by including her perspective growing up as a young Mexican American. It was through the discovery of different systems of oppression that she realized that others were facing similar struggles and she had to bring awareness to these issues.

One of Alvarez Muñoz’s most famous piece is Which Came First, centered around the linguistic issues faced by Mexican Americans who struggle with having English as a second language. The unfolding series follows the artist's typical style of combining images and writing. The images display a set of eggs in line formation mimicking a military status that shifts as each image continues. The words or description questions the idea of how a chicken hatches eggs as well as the proper way you would use the term “lay.” The image and stories describe the education system as a structure that tells students how to think, write and talk. The narrator is confused because they can’t make a connection with what the teacher is saying and the reality of how a chicken hatches an egg. This series correlates with the current education system which fails to teach about Chicanx culture and instead only focuses on American history. Many times this doesn’t make sense and even causes students to question their own identity, yet, we are taught not to ask or question what we learn. In the end, we have students who pursue higher education or do their research and find out the truth, just like the eggs, we turn around and challenge this oppression.