Mexican Murals - Social(ist) Realist Mural in Mérida

A couple of months ago I had the pleasure to visit Mérida, a relaxed city on the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico. As always, I kept my eyes open for murals, but unlike on the Rivera Maya, not too far away, Mérida did not have too many murals. At least, it was not like Tulum or Playa del Carmen, where you could not walk two blocks without seeing a gigantic wall painting of excellent quality. However, we just happened to drive past one, on the main road heading north, towards the beach of Progreso. I skillfully snapped a shot from the moving vehicle, and was quite pleased to see how well it turned out. I left all the analysis for later, which would be now.

Not a Mosaic, But a Social Message

At first the image seems to be a mosaic, possibly from the 1950's, depicting some working class hero with a torch and a wrench, sacrificing blood, sweat, and tears, to bring light to this world, together with some scientists, engineers, and other skilled professionals. Well, that's the impression you get from a driving car, anyway.

At a closer look (that is by zooming in) you can see that everything is painted. A quick web search reveals that it was painted in 2012 by the artist Victor Argaez. However, the imagery in its obvious Social Realist (or Socialist Realist) style is not to be ignored. This is quite common here in Mexico, as it has been kept alive throughout the 20th century, and even into our present days. The mural I posted is titled "Social Integration". With 6 x 20 meters it is the biggest work of the artist, and it adorns the facade of the Technological Institute of Mérida.

It seems like only a short while ago, that heroic looking young men and women bravely faced electricity, mass production, and urbanization, to make their way on the new 20th century, with all its possibilities. Pretty soon, these brave faces started being used for right-wing Nazi propaganda, then after WWII for left-wing Communist propaganda. Eventually both extremes went out of style in both the west and the east. In Mexico, however, it remained alive way into our times.

As always, I use this mural as my entry to CCC's Street Art Contest. This is the 63rd one, and by now there are many amazing bloggers posting lots of wonderful pics of truly spectacular murals from around the world. Take a look, and if you have some cool mural pics from where you live, go ahead and join the contest!