América Tropical

David Alfaro Siqueiros painted this politically charged mural in 1932 on Italian Hall above Olvera Street, and its afterlife is as dramatic as its imagery. What had been commissioned as a romantic vision of tropical abundance emerged instead as Maya ruins, sharpshooters, a crucified Indigenous figure, and an American eagle looming overhead. The work was quickly whitewashed, then largely forgotten, before a long conservation effort chose stabilization over repainting and finally returned it to public view with a shelter, viewing platform, and interpretive center. In the oldest quarter of Los Angeles, the mural reads less like ornament than a scarred public argument about empire, labor, and memory. ([laconservancy.org](https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/america-tropical/))

Los Angeles, California, United States