"La Revolucion Mexicana” by Victor Ochoa

"La Revolucion Mexicana”  by Victor Ochoa

Needless to say Chicano Park in the Logan Heights community of San Diego is a meca for San Diego Street Art.  The many pillars which hold up the freeway connector and are part of the Coronado Bridge are adorned by artists with the primary focus of the art being the history of the area and Hispanic history.  

One example of an historical mural is "La Revolucion Mexicana” which has been classified as one of the most important shaping events in the history of Mexico,  basically pitted the surf verse the autocracy.  

This mural is done in the form of realism using brown, white and black as if to resemble an old historic photograph.  The only colors that appear to be used are those of silver, yellow and red which highlight the words La Revolucion Mexicana.  The mural is painted on an entire section of the support pillar and is made up of several distinct sections.  The top section of the supporting beam shows the revolutionaries dressed either as simple peasants or as banditos riding atop horses.  There are, what appear to be, at least two soldiers in regular regalia toward the rear of the photo.  The horses appear to be kicking up a cloud of dust as they march forward.  

 Right under this image is the title of the mural La Revolucion Mexicana written in bold red and highlighted underneath by lightening the area under the words.  While the word appear in the foreground of the mural behind it is crossed a machete and rifle and this is over laid by what appears to be a Quetzalcoatl symbol of a snake combined with a raptor with yellow feathers.  

Under this appears to be the model of the revolutionary himself.  That is one of a simple peasant, shouldering a rifle, and donning two belts of ammo cress crossing his chest.  The head sitting under the sombrero appears to have been painted using the image of a boy perhaps no older than 15 year old.  A stencil appears to be used on the lower half of the figure including the legs, shoes and supporting elements on the right and left of the model.   

The wording “I Rather Die On My Feet Than Live On My Knees.” , appears to be added to the 2011 restoration.  This expression is attributed to Emiliano Zapata whose portrait appears to be painted on the lower right top section of the pillar.