Response Paper 1: The Orozco murals at Dartmouth College

Hispano-America

The reserve corridor of Baker Library is home of an extensive mural painted by José Clemente Orozco from 1932 to 1934. This work of art, titled The Epic of American Civilization, is of great significance to the Dartmouth Community and was even named a historical landmark. Although Orozco’s work was designed to flow continuously throughout the room, The Epic of American Civilization is composed of several panels. The combination of panels depicts the evolution of American society, displaying the migration of the indigenous population, several aspects of Mexican pre-colonial society, the conquest by Hernan Cortés, and the transition into the modern era. The focus of this paper will be on the panel titled Hispano-America. This panel portrays a powerful revolutionary soldier, resembling Emiliano Zapata, surrounded by a scene of chaos and destruction. This pannel represents the instability and corruption that has characterized Mexican society, as well as the existing hope that leaders, rising from the common people, will fight this chaos.

It is apparent that the events depicted in this panel are occurring somewhere in Mexico. This assumption is supported by Orozco’s Mexican nationality, the addition of a prominent figure that resembles a Mexican Revolutionary, and by the tittle of this piece (Hispano-America). Immediately after looking at the panel, it is clear that this is a scene of chaos and destruction. The backdrop of the piece is filled with crumbling structures, destroyed buildings and broken windows. These elements represent post-revolutionary Mexico, which was torn apart by the civil war that followed Porfirio Diaz’s loss of power. The Mexican Revolution influenced Orozco deeply, which could explain his decision of making the background of this panel resemble this time in Mexico’s history; however, this scene could also more generally represent a post-conflict period in Mexico, not specifically the Revolution.

On the left of the soldado there are multiple figures of men, ranging from military figures to business men that have their faces covered. These individuals seem to be representing the elite class that ruled Mexico during the revolution, composed mainly of military leaders and capitalist bureaucrats. These figures are significant because of their facial expressions, their body language, and their behavior. Almost every single military figure is leaning away from the revolutionary figure and they all have an expression of absolute fear. The way Orozco chose to depict these individuals represents the threat that revolutionary figures such as Zapata and Villa, posed to the current status quo. The two men in front of the revolutionary are significant as well. Rather than leaning back and looking afraid, one of them is embracing a bag of money, while the other is on the ground surrounded by even more golden coins. It appears that the only thing these two men are concerned with is their wealth.  These two figures symbolize the corruption that plagued Mexico, where the elite class, which was only concerned about increasing their wealth, forgot about the well-being of the people. Finally, the single military figure on the right, who is in position to stab the revolutionary, has its own important meaning. Paying close attention to this man, unlike the rest of the military individuals, one can notice that he has a different uniform and different facial characteristics. These two elements indicate that this could be a foreign military authority. Since this man is clearly aiming to kill the soldado and since he could be identified as a foreigner, this figure suggest that Mexico not only had internal problems, but also a threat of foreign corrupt intervention.

Among all the disorder, it is interesting that the revolutionary figure stands tall in the middle of the picture, seemingly unaffected by everything that is happening around him. This man conveys a sense of confidence and power, standing fearless above the rest of the corrupt figures. In face of a country that is filled with corruption and rulers that have forgotten about the common people, the revolutionary man could symbolize leaders such as Zapata and Villa, who can rise above everything to save the country. In addition, dressed with traditional Mexican elements such as the sombrero and the bullets across his chest, this revolutionary celebrates traditional Mexican culture.

Orozco lived through a very turbulent time in Mexican history, which is why it’s not surprising that he decided to include this panel. Similarly to what was happening during the Mexican Revolution, Hispano-America depicts the unstable environment in Mexico. Corrupt military leaders and wealthy capitalists exploited the common people, only concerned about becoming richer and richer; however, revolutionary figures rising from the common people can stand tall despite all the chaos. Finally, it is interesting that Orozco decided to locate this piece next to the panel Anglo-America, which presents an image of a stable and well organized United States. These two pieces create an interesting contrast, revealing how two nations so close to each other can differ so much in their political and social environments.