Spencer, Tadeo (Week 9)

I thoroughly enjoyed Hector’s presentation on Martha Ramirez-Oropeza. Ramirez-Oropeza is clearly a very talented artist as she is a muralist, painter, performer, and art researcher. I did not previously know who teaches the Day of the Dead class at UCLA (it is Ramirez-Oropeza herself), but I have always wanted to take that class and am even more eager to enroll in it now that I know!

 

Ramirez-Oropeza was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and spent her early life traveling between the United States and Mexico. Her parents were farmworkers, so they constantly moved from city to city in order to find work, and many times this necessitated moving back and forth across the border. Eventually, she attended college in Mexico to study under David Siqueiros, the famous muralist. She took an interest in indigenous symbols and eventually co-founded the Nahuatl University in Ocotepec, Morelos, Mexico.

 

One piece that resonated with me was an untitled piece captioned “Mother Earth”:

 

Here, the earth literally takes the shape of a woman’s head. We can assume this woman is a representation of Mother Earth, a personification of the planet Earth. This woman is of a dark complexion, and it is possible that she is indigenous. Her mouth is open, and it appears as if she is blowing life into the plants which grow upon her surface. The plants bloom and flourish so much that they resemble the overgrowth of a jungle. If one looks more closely, however, they can see that these plants are not vines but rather rows of corn, which are often used as a symbol of indigeneity. Thus, I do not believe it is a coincidence that Ramirez-Oropeza chose to give her representation of Mother Earth indigenous features. Furthermore, Ramirez-Oropeza may be suggesting that farmworkers like her parents honor their indigenous heritage by planting corn. Farmworkers are often marginalized, but their work is essential to society. Without food, a society cannot thrive. Much like Mother Earth, farmworkers breathe life into their crops and thus give life to the wider population.