Árbol de la Vida

The mural's full title, Muro 77 Árbol de la Vida, testifies to its purely popular nature and adhesion with the community of Tepito in Mexico City. Unlike many of the other works in this exhibition, Árbol de la Vida is not a narrative work. The mural provides a contemporary take on ancient pre-Columbian concepts surrounding trees, including the world tree and the tree of life, which represent primordial places of origin. In the mural, the traditional roots and leaves have been substituted with figures of women, who gather around the tree’s base and climb among its branches. Created by Argentinian street artist Hyuro, the mural and its setting are meant to serve as a reflection of the viewer and society, where the “wall is a mirror.[1]” Hyuro is also known for her work drawing attention to violence against women, which can provide further insight into the image’s interpretation. The women are depicted as both roots and leaves, indicating a cycle of life of which women are the origin. However, the despondent demeanor of the women at the tree’s base can offer a more cynical view, one where those who make up the roots are not able to benefit from the view of the branches.

In contrast with some of the exhibition’s other works, Árbol de la Vida was not an official state commission. It also presents less explicit subject matter and is not painted by a Mexican artist. However, the mural resides in Tepito, a neighborhood known for its extensive murals that fully integrate with the neighborhood’s architecture and daily life. The Tepiteño approach to muralism is less centered on subject matter, allowing the significance to lie with the mural’s existence within a marginalized community. Tepito is a neighborhood whose marginalized status reaches back to the inception of Mexico City. As a pre-conquest site of little political power, it received little notice from Cortés. Therefore, Tepito was allowed to continue as it had before the conquest while the surrounding area was destroyed and rebuilt as Mexico City. Unaffected by the city’s rapid urbanization, the neighborhood became a destination for migrants and the newly homeless. Over time, marginalization has been adopted by the residents of Tepito, who view their separation from mainstream Mexico City as the foundation of their collective identity.

The murals of Tepito can also be understood to serve a more functional purpose, as murals are seen as protecting their buildings from destruction and, therefore, assisting in blocking the gentrification and displacement of the neighborhood. In creating an ambiguous reading, Hyuro draws the viewer’s attention away from the image and to its surrounding environment. As the viewer looks around, they are brought to the lived environment of the community rather than on the receiving end of a historical narrative.

[1] Eben, Benson. “Juxtapoz Magazine - Hyuro: The Present Tense.”https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/magazine/features/hyuro-the-present-tense/.