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Latino/a Mobility in California History

Genevieve Carpio, Javier Cienfuegos, Ivonne Gonzalez, Karen Lazcano, Katherine Lee Berry, Joshua Mandell, Christofer Rodelo, Alfonso Toro, Authors

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Synthesis

Analyzing the sites alongside one another, there are definitely common themes that are shared across the board, particularly the shared value and importance of acknowledging indigenous roots and important symbols that are connected to Aztlan. The ebook and PBS sources both identified the historical backgrounds of murals with a particular focus on the mural "America Tropical" painted by Siqueiros. In both of these sights, the historians reveal the necessity for acknowledging our roots and how the Mexican people have been treated in the town of Los Angeles.  This focus on Siqueiros set the tone and laid out the foundation for future murals to come. This militantly politicized indigenous mural was a radical movement that caught attention quickly, from both authorities and the public. The painting of this mural introduced another way of making a powerful statement that is still used today.  


The PBS source and the KCET source were similar in that they each had themes compartmentalized, but the PBS journal was not as interactive or exciting. The KCET website included videos and stories that made it entertaining and exciting to explore. Nevertheless, their messages were also interrelated. One of the common themes in both was a section on gang reprisal, meaning that both sites understood this art as not only activism, but ways to keep gang members from violence and disruption. They do this by drawing on the Manuel Cruz mural "Raza Killing Raza" which reminds the viewer that Mexican-American gangs fighting other Mexican-American gangs only hurts Chicanas/os. These gangs are not fighting the oppressor (the authorities that whitewash murals, the upperclass men, or the majority), they are fighting their own people.  

  Although these three sources were different, they all still displayed the same message of never letting the history of Mexicans in Los Angeles fade. It is easy for authority figures to try and erase the cruel realities that this population faced in the first half of the 20th century and even today. It is the story of the struggles and perseverance that will continue to empower the generations to come. 
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