Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Week Nine)

        We had another week of great presentations of Chicana artists. One artist that stood out to me was muralist Martha Ramirez-Oropeza. She stood out to me because she is currently my professor for CCAS 113 Day of Dead Ritual. Professor Ramirez-Oropeza is very knowledgeable of both Mexican culture and Indigenous Nahuatl culture. This is very much shown in her art and murals. Many of the themes she discusses in her lectures are shown in her art such as life, Nahuatl culture, and Chicanx culture.

        Her first mural depicts an indigenous woman surrounded by corn. Within the Nahuatl culture, corn is seen as a symbol of life, as we are all made of corn, and corn is made in many foods. The way I interpreted this mural was a mix of feminist themes with indigenous pride. The way an indigenous woman is coexisting with the corn shows how integral they both are to life but also shows the underappreciation of women, indigenous women, as they are shown buried underneath the earth out of sight. 
        The last two murals demonstrate the mixture of cultures that represent Chicanx culture. Since Chicanx people come from many mixed cultures, Indigenous, Spanish, and American, they have gone through a unique experience within America. The United Farm Workers leaders Cesar Chaves and Dolores Huerta are depicted alongside Nahuatl culture in solidarity. This was interesting because Mexican Americans were legally classified as white but never received the benefits that come with being white. They still experienced racism and discrimination and so this mural to me represents the reclaiming of the indigenous culture among many Mexican Americans. This theme is further expanded in her last mural. A banner stating “Aztlan Nuestra Historia Topializtli” translates to “Aztlan Our History Topializtli” shows Mexican and Chicanx people surrounded by Nahuatl art and imagery.