See the extraordinary new murals at the Los Angeles Central Library: Oaxaca/LosAngeles

oaxacalifornia mural Los Angeles Library — ***Near each section of the murals is a detailed explanation of the imagery. Some symbols are from Los Angeles, some from Oaxaca.***

Neither my photos or words can convey the experience of seeing the new murals in the second floor rotunda at the Central Library. When I was at the library on Saturday, the day before the “official” opening of Pacific Standard Time LA/LA in 2017, there were already crowds of people, armed with cameras, viewing these works of art.

Oaxaca LA murals crowd — Wrapping around the rotunda at eye level are the Oaxaca/Los Angeles murals by the artists, Dario Canul and Cosijoesa Cernas, also known collectively as Tlacolulokos. Above are the faded murals done by Dean Cornwell in 1933, depicting the history of California as it was understood then by him. They are severely faded and need restoration!

Higher up are the pastel murals about California history completed back in the early 20th century. These new murals are clearly works of the 21st Century. And are clearly the works of Mexican-Americans in L.A. Both members of the Tlacolulokos collective were born in Oaxaca. Two women standing beside me commented that they hoped the murals would be permanently on display. I hope so too.

(Later: The murals were removed from the Library several months later and sent along to be displayed in Texas.)

Below are more photos of parts of the mural. There is also a video being shown in the rotunda. If you are anywhere near downtown, be sure to take a few minutes to see the entire set of murals in place. In fact, you should probably make a special trip to see them.

And a few words for Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions – how can you possibly say that immigrants, especially Latino immigrants, do not contribute to our society!