The Murals of Oaxaca

Oaxaca is a UNESCO heritage site, full of rich tradition, handicrafts and indigenous heritage. Aside from the colorful tapestry of buildings that populate the central core of the city, you'll find hundreds if not thousands of beautiful murals on homes and businesses throughout the city. The murals depict the region's history, traditions, and values, including social and political commentaries. Just a few common themes I have noticed include Dia de Muertos, Celebrating & Empowering Women, and Hummingbirds.

Dia de Muertos Day of the Dead honors and celebrates those who have passed on, and Oaxaca city is known for maintaining a high degree of authenticity in the way they celebrate this holiday. A big majority of murals in the city depict scenes or elements of Dia de Muertos, often in an uplifting way.

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Celebrating & Empowering Women: Women are associated with Dia de Muertos in the form of La Catrina, which is depicted as a female skeleton in elegant historical clothing. This representation started as a social satire, mocking the wealthy, but evolved into a positive image that reminds us death is a part of life for all living beings and is worth celebrating.

Las Chinas are prominent women in Oaxacan celebrations. You will always see them in a Calenda or holiday parade. They dress in white blouses, colorful scarves, and bright flowing skirts. They dance through the street while carrying baskets on their heads. The baskets contain representative gifts, food and flowers. The history of Las Chinas is quite interesting. You can learn more about them here, and here.

Hummingbirds not only pollinate key crops in the region, including Agave (used to make Mezcal), but have many other symbolic meanings and can be found in indigenous artwork as well.

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The streets of Oaxaca, especially in Centro are already very colorful, but all of the murals by these talented artists make it an even more vibrant and dynamic city to explore. I never get tired of stopping to admire the artwork on our outings!