Plaza y Paseo de los Heroes
Zihuatanejo’s Homage to the Republic
Just a five minute stroll northward from the municipal beach on Calle Cuahtemoc is the Plaza y Paseo de los Heroes, a quiet tree shaded square with concrete benches, dedicated to the illustrious men of the Mexican republic.
There are three stone-carved statues on pedestals: one is of Emiliano Zapata, famed general of the Mexican Revolution; another shows Miguel Hidalgo, the humble priest- statesman whose sermons urged independence, freedom and liberty, and Guadalupe Victoria, first president of Mexico. The third depicts Benito Juarez, the diminutive but fiery orator-lawyer from Oaxaca (later president of Mexico) whose legal mind produced the Bill of Rights for all Mexicans; and Venustiano Carranza, president of Mexico who drafted the Constitution in 1917.
Most imposing, however, is a large (approximately 10ft. by 40ft.) mural that illustrates the panoramic history of Mexico. The overall color, in earth tones, symbolizes and reflects the soil and earth of Mexico, at times arid and rocky and at others, pregnant with abundance and fertility. The mural is meant to be viewed linearly, left to right.
The painting begins with drawings of a pyramid and faces of the first inhabitants: Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecs, Olmecs…with various bird and snake gods, above and below. Hernando Cortez and a group of Spanish conquistadors with fire and flames are seen below the oversized drawing of Emperor Moctezuma, a powerful figure, left hand clenched in a fist, the palm of his right hand open. He is enveloped by an aura of white and yellow hues, suggestive of a mystical being. He is followed by Miguel Hidalgo, whose extended arm points to the downtrodden masses of the poor; Jose Maria Morelos, another radical priest who preached against injustice and supported the cry for independence; Vicente Guerrero, the general also involved in the independence movement; and Guadalupe Victoria. Beneath Morelos and Victoria, a group of foreign (French) soldiers are firing rifles and the ground is red with blood under their feet.
Dressed in his familiar black coat and white winged collar shirt is Benito Juarez, portrayed holding his edict, “el respecto al derecho ajena es la paz“, calling for revolt, uprising and rebellion. The following figure is that of the hated villain Porfirio Diaz, a once obscure lieutenant, resplendent in an immaculate white military uniform—his usual vain glorious attire. In the beginning Diaz was supported by the Mexican populace for bringing much needed improvements—railroads, highways, transportation, industries and European inspired architecture in the capital, among other achievements. Under his slogan, “Order and Progress,” Mexico became the envy of Latin American nations. But badly advised, Diaz became a pompous, arrogant and ruthless tyrant, rising to the pinnacle of absolute dictatorship. Decadence surrounds him: two women are wearing European “de rigueur fin d’epoque” veiled hats and elbow length silk gloves, reflecting the frivolous life and ruthlessness of the rich in power.
Framed in a theatrical pink stage curtain are the puppet caricatures of Maximilian and Charlotte, appointed King and Queen of Mexico by a coalition of expansion minded European—mostly French—powers. That period of farce also shows dead peasants lying prone at the feet of the foreign monarchs. That tableau is situated beneath Diaz.
Francisco Madero, slain martyr and first president after the Mexican Revolution, is placed next to the legendary Pancho Villa, renegade general of the Army of the North, to whom Hollywood paid $10,000 to re-enact for posterity his celebrated entry into Torreon onto celluloid film. Next, wearing his ubiquitous oversize straw sombrero is Emiliano “El General” Zapata. Another warrior-spokesman for the oppressed campesinos, he is best remembered for his dictum, “Tierra y Libertad.” The announced arrival of his highly motivated and disciplined troops, Zapatistas, merging on Mexico City, caused much dread and fear in the capital. He stands between Villa and Venustiano Carranza, the bespectacled, bearded intellect father figure responsible for the framing of the 1917 Mexican Constitution.
Among those personalities are other vignettes: a group of peasants with raised arms, pleading for justice; figures of men on horseback with crossed bandoliers across their chests; fire and flames under a “no reeleccion” banner held by a man atop a horse; and dark faces showing patience and restrained anger, about to erupt in violence.
In the upper end of the mural at the top is a door frame, symbol of the end of an era. The lower end, two open hands holding a growing green maize plant—the daily staple, life and future of Mexico—promises continuous fertility and the hope for a humble, human life, offered by a generous mother, the land of Mexico.
Four local artists, including one female artist, participated in the painting of the mural. The square and mural were inaugurated in November 1996, part of an urban beautification program.
Michel Janicot is a historical writer based in California and is currently writing a book on Mexico and Mexican history. This article is an excerpt from Janicot’s current work.
-January 2000
