As I was perusing the online catalog this week with Hispanic Heritage Month in mind, a number of photographs of murals stood out to me. The mural tradition has long been strong in Hispanic communities in the United States, perhaps most notably as a part of the Chicano art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. These murals are mostly concentrated in the Southwest, but span the United States.
The mural below in Buffalo, New York was designed by Philadelphia public artist Betsy Casañas.

Casañas explained in an interview hosted by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery why the mural depicts three women (two shown in the image) of African, Indigenous and Spanish descent: “… when you’re working in these spaces it’s really important for the people to see a reflection of themselves in the work around them.” Photographer Carol M. Highsmith captured the mural as part of her work documenting landscapes and the built environment throughout the United States.
Some murals honor community leaders. Labor and civil rights activist César Chávez is featured in a mural by Melchor Ramirez, seen below in Tucson’s Cesar Chavez Park. The mural draws a direct line drawn between the labor organizer and an ancient Indigenous past, depicting Chávez in the style of an Aztec deity, much like Tonan, seated next to him.