Holidays in México

With the holidays coming up around the corner, travel and spending time with loved ones is on a lot of our minds. Luckily, I’m fortunate enough to get to do both this winter break! Over the break, I’ll be traveling to Guadalajara, Jalisco, México together with my family. Not only will this be our first vacation together as a family in ten years, but my partner will also be coming along with us as well on her first visit to México. Needless to say, we’re all so very excited. 

Guadalajara is the second-largest city in México. As such, the city and the region are home to a wealth of culture. Several cornerstones of Mexican culture have their origin in the area – Mariachis, tequila, and tortas ahogadas are all from the region. Yet, one aspect of Guadalajara that often gets looked over is the art.

Orozco, along with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, was one of the Mexican artists who spearheaded the Mexican Mural Movement. Though there are clear distinctions between himself and his contemporaries, much of his art also revolves around Mexican history and the Mexican revolution. Luckily for us, Orozco was from Jalisco and as such several of his public works can be found in Guadalajara. 

The first of Orozco’s three major works in Guadalajara is Father Hidalgo which resides in the Governmental Palace in the downtown area. Entry to the palace itself is free and open to the public. The mural itself covers the entire wall of the stairway between the first floor and the second and spans a total of 13,000 square feet. The motif of political strife is clearly evident in the piece but looming large in the center is Miguel Hidalgo, the Father of Mexican Independence. Conveniently, another of Orozco’s works can be found less than a mile away.

A short walk down Avenida Juarez will lead you to MUSA, the University of Guadalajara’s art museum. Two more of Orozco’s major works, The Masses and their False Leaders and Man, Creator and Rebel can be found here. Housed in an assembly room, The Masses and their False Leaders depicts the common folk of México in clear states of hunger and sickness revolting against military leaders in overalls attempting to pass as common laborers. Man, Creator and Rebel can be found directly above this mural in the building’s dome. This second mural depicts a variety of common but prestigious professions. A teacher, a scientist, a laborer, and an artist are all depicted here. What many consider to be Orozco’s masterpiece can be found a mile and a half from these pieces.

Hospicio Cabañas was originally founded in 1791 as both a hospital and orphanage. This site also happens to be home to fifty-seven different murals by Orozco. The murals within this building are considered to be Orozco’s crowning achievement. With the exception of The Man of Fire, the murals function as a telling of Mexican history depicting moments from the Pre-Columbian period to conquest and colonization and then finally the modern era. Like the frescos in MUSA, The Man of Fire commands the center of the building’s dome. Though Orozco himself famously never explained the significance of his works, the figure in flames can be seen above several facets of the arts and has one of its arms fully engulfed which has led some to speculate that it is the painter himself.

 

All three of these world-class works are within walking distance of each other and are a must-see for any fan of fine art visiting Guadalajara. Not doing so would constitute an oversight akin to going to México and not eating tacos or sampling various tequilas. Oversights we’ll make sure to not commit.

-Ramon Garcia, MS-LS Candidate 2020