Arreaga 1

Berenisse Arreaga

Professor Batty

English 101

24 February 2017

Focus on Both

When people think of Latin culture, they immediately get an image of strong, hard

working males and Aztec warriors from centuries ago. We see works of art where the Latino men

are powerful, idolized, and respected and the one woman is usually a damsel in distress.

Although some focus mainly on masculine Latino culture, the mural Decolonized by Kristy

Sandoval is putting focus on feminine Latina culture as shown through the colors and objects, the

location, and the murals intended audience. Feminine Latina culture is equally significant to the

world as masculine Latino culture, some just forget how important both are.

The colors and objects shown in the mural symbolize Latino people and their situations.

For example, the mural shows the woman releasing birds and butterflies that symbolize

immigration reform from a cage setting them free from the things that hold us

back.(Decolonized, 2013) This interpretation helps to argue the artists purpose because when

society thinks of immigration they typically think of illegal Latino/as, and the women doing

something about immigration would come as a shock because females arent seen as powerful

nor brave much less with that culture. Women go through being put down a lot because of their

gender and culture and in this mural the woman is happy. Things like gender, age, race, and

culture hold us back from doing big things but in the mural she is saying you can be freed; you

can make accomplishments for yourself and others despite those barriers. Feminine Latina

culture is highly ignored and the mural argues that it deserves the attention because the women
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that are part of it go through tough experiences and their cultures help them survive. The colors

used most in the mural are yellow and orange: yellow representing the energy Latinas have and

orange representing their determination and success. In the mural the cage is an actual window

which adds to why the symbolism in this mural is really vivid and the artist wanted it to stand

out. Lastly, the field of California poppy flowers resemble how feminine Latina culture has

always existed and how it will always be everywhere.

The mural is located in the city of Pacoima, California which is known for being majorly

populated by Latinos and their cultures/traditions. This mural was like a contribution to the

community to remind the Latina women that they and their cultures do not go unnoticed. In most

communities there are such as many working women as men, but in a community like Pacoima

work has different meanings for both genders. In Latino cultures, the men work every day for

extended hours to provide for their families and the women stay home to take care of the

children, care for their husband, and do extensive housework. As a Latina I can relate to this and

say the struggles of Latina women are equal and sometimes harder than those of a man. Women

have to keep the family strong, their Latin cultures help them to be good women the same way

Latin cultures influenced the most admired Latinas for generations. The feminine side to Latin

cultures helped shape most of Latin America to be the way it is today. The same way that the

Pacoima community is as important to the world as any other community, feminine Latina

culture should be as focused on as masculine Latino culture.

Works of art always have intended audiences or dedications for who they were made for.

The murals dedication is the young and educated generation, specifically the women making

things happen in Pacoima. (Murals on Van Nuys.., 2013) This dedication is concluded

through the image of the Aztec woman setting the birds and butterflies free, shes taking action
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on her own doing something she believes will make a huge difference. The symbolism depicts

that specifically women of feminine Latina culture are those making things happen. As the

Latina in the mural takes action, the mural says that the Latinas in Pacoima can easily do the

same. The Aztec moon goddess Coyolxauhqui tattooed on the girls arm also depicts dedication

to Latina female leaders because according to the legend the goddess was a leader herself. The

artist believes that females of Latin culture can do more than they themselves believe and she

encourages them to do so. Cultures and traditions are taken very seriously with Latinos, and this

is why I believe the intended audience of the mural sends the message that those who think

women dont do anything to society are wrong because feminine Latina culture is as impactful as

any other.

We Latinos are all alike in many ways, but being part of the masculine Latino culture

doesnt make a person more meaningful than someone on the feminine side. The mural

Decolonized may not be seen as an argument to some, but I see the argument that feminine

Latina culture should be more focused on because of the symbolic colors and objects that were

used in it, where it was created, and the audience the mural was intended for. Latina women

dont come close to being the damsels in distress theyre visualized as. The unfair judgements

need to stop and the Latina women and their cultures need to be given the credit they deserve.
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Works Cited

1. Aguirre, April. Murals on Van Nuys and Bradley Now Completed. i am san

fernando, 26 July 2013, http://iamsanfernando.com/mural-pacoima-levi-ponce-kristy-

sandoval
2. Decolonized. MCLA, 14 July 2013,

http://www.muralconservancy.org/murals/decolonized
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Appendix

Decolonized by artist Kristy Sandoval in Pacoima, California.