América Tropical: Oprimida y Destrozada por los Imperialismos is a 98-foot fresco mural painted in 1932 by the Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros on an exterior wall of the Italian Hall on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. Commissioned by the Plaza Art Center for a cheerful tropical scene, Siqueiros instead depicted a Maya-like pyramid surrounded by twisted trees, centered on an indigenous figure crucified on a double-edged cross beneath a perched American eagle, with destroyed pre-Columbian sculptures at the base and two Mexican revolutionary snipers taking aim at the eagle from the pyramid's flank. The mural proved so controversial that it was painted over not long after completion and remained hidden for eighty years until the Getty Foundation and the City of Los Angeles restored and unveiled it in 2012, now viewable from a dedicated interpretive center. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Year Created LocationItalian Hall, Olvera Street, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles 1 Commissioned By Sources
1. América Tropical: Oprimida y Destrozada por los Imperialismos (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraph, first sentence (date)
América Tropical is a 98-foot wide fresco mural (30 m) created in 1932 by David Alfaro Siqueiros and other artists in Los Angeles, California, on a second-level exterior wall of the Italian Hall.
Lead paragraph, first sentence (medium)
América Tropical is a 98-foot wide fresco mural (30 m) created in 1932 by David Alfaro Siqueiros and other artists in Los Angeles, California, on a second-level exterior wall of the Italian Hall.
Lead paragraph, second sentence
It was painted over soon after its completion on an external wall of the Italian Hall on Olvera Street, in El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument of Downtown Los Angeles.
History section, first paragraph
Siqueiros came to Los Angeles as a political refugee in 1932 and was sponsored by the Plaza Art Center to create a mural that was supposed to be about happy men, parrots, and palms with fruit falling into the mouths of people.
Lead section, sentence 1, date clause
created in 1932
Background section, sponsorship sentence
was sponsored by the Plaza Art Center to create a mural
Genre reference
América Tropical: Oprimida y Destrozada por los Imperialismos is a 98-foot fresco mural painted in 1932 by the Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros on an exterior wall of the Italian Hall on Olvera Street in Los Angeles.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.