"America Tropical" mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros

In 1932, David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) was exiled from Mexico and spent 8 months in Los Angeles before being escorted to the San Pedro port to continue his exile some place else.  During the time he was in L.A. he taught at he Chouinard Art School and created three murals.  One on the side of the school building in what is now the Korean community, one on the side of a building on Olvera Street, and one on a wall of a private residence in the Pacific Palisades. The final one was saved and later moved along with the building on which it was painted to the Santa Barbara Art Center.  The other two were white washed over because people saw them as anti American.

However, over the last 20 years, the mural, American Tropical on Olvera street has been partially restored with the help of the Getty Institute and the City of Los Angeles.  In 2012, on the 80th anniversary of it's original opening, the mural was once again revealed.  A protective cover shades the mural which is seen on the second floor on the side of a building facing Olvera street.  A viewing platform is on another building that houses a free museum and information center on the history of the mural.

The mural depicts an overgrown jungle. an Aztec temple, with a crucified Indian peasant surmounted by an American eagle, at which revolutionary soldiers aim their rifles.

Here are a few of my photos of the site that I visited on Wednesday:

In this photo taken just a few months after the mural was completed, the right side has already been white washed because it was observable from Olvera Street.  Later, the entire mural was painted over.  A photo of David Siqueiros is shown.

The faded original mural.  I was told that by painting it over, that actually protected the mural from sun and rain damage.