Photos: Mexican muralist Hugo Martinez Tecoatl
Mexican muralist Hugo Martinez Tecoatl stands near his masterpiece: an elaborate array of murals vibrantly splashed across 4,000 square feet of space in Casa del Mexicano, a community and cultural center in Boyle Heights. Aztec gods, bicycles, serpents, marigolds and tributes to Pancho Villa, Benito Juarez and Emiliano Zapata stretch from the hardwood floor up 30- to 40-foot walls and across the ceiling. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Tecoatl uses a plate to mix colors as he works on murals that cover the walls of the Casa del Mexicano. He has spent the last year painstakingly transforming the inside of the 106-year-old building into a moving history of
Tecoatl descends a scaffold after several hours of working on a mural. Ask a question about what you see on the walls and he will wax on about urban violence, the human spirit, the power of education and the significance of skulls and jaguars. Each wall, each scene, he says, tells a story -- provokes spectators to think. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Tecoatl sits on a scaffold as he mixes colors on a plate. “I want Mexican youth who may not know their story except for the color of their skin to see this and know we have a marvelous history” Tecoatl said. “We are different, and you can feel it when you walk in here.” (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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Tecoatl, who trained at one of Mexico City’s prestigious art schools, took on the muralist job with little fanfare -- and hardly any compensation. Though he is provided with all the paint, brushes and sketchbooks he needs, he is paid only $100 a week and is given a place to sleep in the community center. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Tecoatl works on the murals that cover the walls of the Casa del Mexicano. The entire interior is now covered in an intricate blend of surreal images, and only the giant cupola remains -- because the center does not have scaffolding high enough to reach the 50-foot top. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Tecoatl climbs down a scaffold so he can look over some of the walls he has painted. He hopes the center will be able to track down a ladder high enough to finish his work on the cupola. And although he hasn’t quite decided what he’ll paint, he does know it’ll be “something with lots of warm colors and lots of strength.” (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Tecoatl has given much more than he has received, and his generosity isn’t lost on others. “With little money and despite the struggles, we did it. And it’s phenomenal,” says Martha Soriano, president of the Comite de Beneficencia Mexicana, the nonprofit group that oversees Casa del Mexicano. “It gives life to our Mexico, to our building.” (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
