The Mural That Should Have been
My friend Rebecca and I went on an art tour of murals in Jalatlaco, a barrio in Oaxaca last month. The murals are magnificent and each one has a story of defiance, protest, feminism, pro-worker, el Día de los Muertos, celebrations.
Our guide Karleth was fantastic. She talked with most of the artists (those who are still alive) to get the story behind their mural and researched those who she was unable to contact. Karleth’s indepth knowledge about Jalatlaco’s history and the artists along with her passion about the murals added so much substance to the tour. I was ooh’ing and ahh’ing at each mural, yet one in particular struck a chord. This mural, now referred to as ‘the mural that should have been’ has a story that is sad, infuriating and unsurprisingly not surprising.
The original artist’s name is Maria Izquierdo. In 1945, Maria was commissioned by the Government of Mexico to paint a mural in the Government Palace of Mexico City, more specifically in the stairwell of the old City Hall Palace. The theme of the mural was “the progress of Mexico City”.
Diego Rivera and two other male artists, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, strongly criticized the sketch done by Maria and as the story goes, protested and resorted to “sexist disqualification” to support Diego’s position on and against it. Thus, Maria Izquiedo’s mural work was interrupted and prohibited the artist from continuing her work.
In 2021, the sketches were retrieved and the mural was painted by 110 women in Jalatlaco, where Maria was born and was curated by Dea Lopez. It is known as ‘the mural that should have been’ and vindicates not only Maria Izquierdo’s mural, but also the work of all women artists. As an aside and not inconsequential, the 110 women chose not to paint three men in the upper right corner despite them being in the original sketch. Instead, they were painted as women doing the work of what is historically depicted as that of men’s work. An act of defiance, liberation and pro-women’s rights at some of its finest hours!
After the artwalk ended, I reached out to Karleth and gave her a quick glimpse into what my business Ageless Adventure is about. We touched upon ageism, the roles of women in our societies and the barriers, challenges and amazingness that we face each and every day. It was no surprise that we ended up talking about how we could collaborate to offer an intergenerational, inter-country women’s discussion group.
A few weeks later, on Saturday December 27th, five of us gathered in a lovely space – American women who have 60 plus years and Mexican women who have 25 years*. Rebecca, Karleth, Maria, Frida and myself shared what it’s like to be a woman especially in the current anti-women rights environment in America, and what it’s like growing up in a machismo, sexist society yet living in contradiction with pro-feminism protests and activism in Mexico.
We talked about water and the lack thereof, how water is being diverted to hotels in Oaxaca Centro and away from Mexicans. We talked about tourism and what is needed to be a responsible tourist. We talked about the agave plant and its need for water to thrive and how the demand for mezcal especially in the US has prompted agave plantings over other crops; And how the drought has and will continue to impact this agricultural country. We talked about how patriarchy shows up as well as the ever-present mansplaining and gas lighting. And we all recognized we could spend hours talking about this so we made note of it for next time we gather!
We shared that we think we’re never enough. That we’re never at the right age - we are either too old or too young. That we are considered too loud or nor loud enough. And being asked oh so much why we are single and have no kids. That we wear clothes not suited for our age (and what the heck is ‘our age’ anyway!) and that we are too much of a feminist of not enough of leading the charge.
A friend of Karleth, a Mexican woman who is in her 50’s, was unable to join but one statement she shared that I will never ever forget: “I’m not afraid to get old but am afraid to become not useful.”
While I was sharing some stories, Maria leaned in and said to me ‘I am looking in a mirror’! I almost cried as here was this vibrant, feisty, brilliant, funny Mexican woman hearing my stories sees a bit of her current and future self in me. I was beyond honored to say the least.
Our conversation was lively, raw, vulnerable, honest and so much fun. Five women shared stories and got to know one another, with vulnerability, trust and no pretense or expectation. We left that house knowing we’d see each other again and that we’ll all leave an indelible mark in this world.
Contact me if you want to be part of the soon-to-be scheduled monthly women’s discussion group. They will be lively and will cover a myriad of topics with a focus on feminism, ageism and how to eradicate it, and how each generation of women can help support each other as we move through this complex and beautiful world.
Here are three links to articles about the mural. They are in Spanish yet are translatable upon opening them.
The mural that should have been
The work that should have been: A work rescued by feminists
*The Spanish language does not say ‘I am 62 or I am 25 years old’. It is Yo tengo sesenta y dos. I have 62 years.
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