The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli: Indigenous Imagery in the Murals of Mexico City and Los Angeles

Presenter Information

Samantha Williams

Location

Science Center, A262

Document Type

Presentation

Start Date

4-27-2012 1:30 PM

End Date

4-27-2012 2:30 PM

Abstract

Social movements in Mexico City and Los Angeles inspired muralists to employ indigenous imagery to politicize and celebrate an identity oppressed by the state and neglected in popular media. The Mexican Mural Movement in the 1920s, and the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles in the 1970s, produced murals that often depicted the Aztec gods Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli. In this project, I explore the importance of the use of indigenous imagery, and explain the significance of these two gods for the painters and their audiences, then and now.

Notes

Session I, Panel 5: Express Yourself: Case Studies in Art, Politics, and Sexuality
Moderator: Nick Jones, Professor of English

Major

Hispanic Studies; Latin American Studies

Advisor(s)

Ana Cara, Hispanic Studies

Project Mentor(s)

Steve Volk, History; Latin American Studies

April 2012

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Apr 27th, 1:30 PM Apr 27th, 2:30 PM

The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli: Indigenous Imagery in the Murals of Mexico City and Los Angeles

Science Center, A262

Social movements in Mexico City and Los Angeles inspired muralists to employ indigenous imagery to politicize and celebrate an identity oppressed by the state and neglected in popular media. The Mexican Mural Movement in the 1920s, and the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles in the 1970s, produced murals that often depicted the Aztec gods Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli. In this project, I explore the importance of the use of indigenous imagery, and explain the significance of these two gods for the painters and their audiences, then and now.