Previous Record Next Record
Switch Views: Lightbox | Image List | List
Justicia, Union, Libertad
Maker: La Asamblea de Artistas Revolucionarios de Oaxaca (ASAR-O); Teak
Technique: woodcut
Date Made: 2006
Place Made: Mexico: Oaxaca
Measurements: 70 cm x 48 cm; 27.5 in x 19 in
Main Subject: Oaxaca, Mexico (Latin America: Caribbean and Central America)
Materials: paper (fiber product)
Digitized: Y
Full Text:
[written on machete blades] Justicia Union Libertad
Acquisition Number: 2008-298
Translation: Justice, Unity, Liberty
Notes:
Same design as ID 26614 but different text.
These Calaveras (skeletons) wear the regional dress of the Zapotec people of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eatern Oaxaca. The long flowing skirts, short blouse-like huipiles, and heavy jewelry distinguish the women of the region. The sickle is an obvious allusion to Marxist political ideology. The sword-like machete, on the other hand, has long been a symbol of both the Mexican farmer’s skill in clearing his land and his ability to defend it. More recently, upright machetes have come to stand for the successful resistance of the people of San Salvador Atenco against a federal project to expropriate their lands in order to build a new airport for Mexico City. This resistance movement was violently repressed by the national and state governments and is widely viewed as a precedent for the Oaxaca uprising of 2006.
Copyright Status:
Copyright status unknown; may be protected by copyright law.