Orozco mural in Government Palace in Guadalajara

We had traced some of art and murals of both Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco on a previous trip to Mexico City (and even before then), so we were excited to see the Orozco murals done in Guadalajara.  When he painted these murals, he was quite elderly and could barely see, so it was hard to imagine how the painted them when his face had to be so close to the wall.  The paintings are immense and scale up both sides of a large stairwell with a curved ceiling.  It’s hard to imagine. . . .

The dominant image of this huge mural — entitled “The People and It’s Leader” — in the Government Palace is the white-haired Miguel Hidalgo brandishing a flaming torch which seems to move as you move from one side of the painting to the other.  His eyes also follow you.  Well, some people claimed his eyes followed the.  I couldn’t really see it myself. . . .  Hidalgo was the individual who ignited the independence movement in Mexico, so the symbolism of his brandishing the torch is not lost on viewers.  His intent seemed to be two-fold: to liberate the down-trodden from the forces of religion and politics.

The work is divided into five parts, moving from left to right as one views the mural from the top of the stairs: the dark forces, fratricidal struggles, Hidalgo, the victims, and the contemporary circus. 

This picture gives you a sense of the ceiling work as you descend the staircase. 

The view to the right — contemporary circus

This is the scene beneath Hidalgo — the victims

A second Orozco mural can be seen in the government palace.  It is again a scene with Hildago, but this time he has a pen in his hand and is signing the document giving independence to Mexico, but he is writing in red blood, signifying all who died during the struggle for independence. 

Orozco is made somewhat immortal because his statue appears in the Plaza de la Rotunda which includes statues of many of the heroes of Mexico and Jalisco, including people who distinguished themselves in arts, science, education, human rights, law, and politics.  Orozco’s statue is one of 24 statues.