lands still exist in the region, rivers crisscross the entirety of our valley, and almost every family possesses some memory and knowledge of our local farming traditions. An untapped labor force also exists, as many of the youth and young adults are at a loss as to what to do with their time and energy.
My commitment to upholding this way of life may be owing in part to my experience of having lived in large East Coast cities for nearly a decade, where I found myself hungering for wide open spaces, a shovel, and the opportunity to break into a sweat and feel my body root itself back into the earth. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the art schools I attended there, for they equipped me with the tools and understandings I now employ in defense of this treasured way of life.
Thanks to them, I now practice photography, which enables me to document our farming way of life. My images in turn lead to the creation of compositions involving collage work followed by drawings on paper, drawings on walls, and ultimately to the painting of public murals celebrating regional agriculture.
Mural painting has a long tradition in this country particularly among the Mexican- American population of the border states, in Mexico, Latin America, and indeed the world over. Over generations this highly visible grassroots form of expression has been honed to serve at least three distinct purposes. Among them is the seeding of a consciousness around a particular issue, be it
Young women and adults contributing to the development of a signature mural celebrating the agricultural roots of the Española Valley.
cultural, political, intellectual or metaphysical. The second objective is the execution of a work of art that explores aesthetic canons developed throughout the history of the medium, or which perhaps breaks them, but in a meaningful and aesthetically powerful way. The third aim is to promote community participation and to host an unforgettable and rewarding experience for young and old alike should the muralist so desire. For youth in particular, participating alongside others in a creative, meaningful and meaning-laden endeavor requiring the combined strength of many, can be a decisive moment in their lives— one that is able to spark considerations that might influence or even determine the course of their lives and what they choose to do for community as much as they do for themselves.
In the last several years I have dedicated myself to the painting of numerous murals that highlight not just the memory of our agricultural traditions, but just as importantly, emphasize the need for the continuation of this creative, authentic and ecologically sound way of life. Some of the murals are devoted to the annual resurgence of life in the springtime when the fruit trees bloom and farmers sow. Others focus on the hard work of midsummer weeding and irrigating, while others celebrate the joy and bounty of harvest and even the supper table, when family and friends share a meal together, a meal drawn from the very depths of the earth.
The interest and enthusiasm with which my community has received the murals has been quite heartening. They have served as a catalyst for vital dialogue and could very well instigate involvement in the founding of new gardens and farm initiatives. Indeed, that would be something to sing about and even to break bread and feast over.
Alejandro López is a mural artist, photographer and writer from Santa Cruz, NM. He is a 2025 Taproot Fellow of The Alliance for California Traditional Arts, a recognition that came on the heels of painting several public murals in his community celebrating traditional Indohispano culture and agriculture. He is about to embark on the painting of two new murals at the Española, NM Pathways shelter for the homeless. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Corcoran School of Art and a Masters in Art Education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. alej @ cybermesa. com
plenty I autumn harvest 2025 21