América Tropical
They hired him for birds and foliage, and within weeks the country wanted him gone.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
In a misting rain, about eight hundred people looked up at this wall and saw a native man crucified on a double cross. On top of the cross sat, in the painter's words, "the eagle of North American coins." In the trees, armed men were aiming at the eagle. It was the night of October 9, 1932, and they had been told to expect something else. The Los Angeles Times had promised a fresco that would "represent the tropical section of Mexico where sugar is produced."
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
América Tropical Interpretive Center, 125 Paseo de la Plaza, El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Hours for the center and for viewing the mural may differ, so check with El Pueblo before you go. A screen covers the mural at night and in bad weather.
Sources
- PBS SoCal, Spring rise and autumn exit: Siqueiros in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Daily Mirror, América Tropical at 93
- Los Angeles Conservancy, América Tropical
- Hyperallergic, Historic Mexican mural preserved
- El Pueblo de Los Angeles, América Tropical Interpretive Center
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