A series of murals celebrating and uplifting Chicano culture that were once faded and even painted over in some places, are now fully restored to their vibrant state near El Salvador Park in Santa Ana.
The “La Raza” murals, painted in 1991 by George Ruiz, Gilbert Rodarte, Steve Martinez, Roger Montenegro and Jaime Varella, were chipped and fading from existence, but thanks to community members and artists, the murals will remain for more generations to admire.
The community celebrated the comeback of the murals on Saturday with free music, food and reflecting on the history of art in Santa Ana.
The La Raza Murals on Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana were restored to their natural state with the help of some of the original artists and the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association. The artwork, inspired by the Chicano Mural Movement, was painted in 1991. The restoration project was celebrated by the community, including two little girls, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, original artists Orange County Register/SCNG)
Adelina Rodarte, left, and her sister, Alisia Luna, make their way to the La Raza Murals restoration celebration on Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. The murals rwere estored to their natural state with the help of some of the original artists and the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association. Rodarte is the mother of one of the artists, Gilbert Rodarte, and Luna is his aunt. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, original artists Orange County Register/SCNG)
Donna Hernandez gets her picture taken in front of a restored mural on Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana on..Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Hernandez remembers the murals from childhood when she cruised down the road with her family. As she got older they began to fade.”I felt sad and thought they were going to get painted over,” she said during the ribbon-cutting and celebration . “I’m glad they restored them.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Deacon Luis Gallardo with Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church, blesses the walls during the La Raza Murals restoration celebration at Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Deacon Luis Gallardo with Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church, speaks during the La Raza Murals restoration celebration at Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Roman Reyna cools off passersby during the La Raza Murals restoration celebration in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. The event took place on Civic Center Drive where the blacktop intensified the heat. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A vendor at the La Raza Murals restoration celebration keeps colorfully cool in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artists Roger Montenegro, left, and Gilbert Rodarte are honored during the La Raza Murals restoration celebration in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. They each painted a mural on Civic Center Drive in 1991 and then recently helped restore them. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People brave the heat wave to attend the La Raza Murals restoration celebration in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Two-year-old Bryan Natanael Lemus Rios peeks out from the shade of his wagon during the La Raza Murals restoration celebration on Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With her cheeks flush from the heat, 4-year-old Adelina Rodarte sheilds herself from the sun in Santa Ana on..Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. She was at a community event celebrating the restoration of murals on Civic Center Drive, one of which was painted by her dad, Gilbert Rodarte. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The La Raza Murals on Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana were restored to their natural state with the help of some of the original artists and the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association. The artwork, inspired by the Chicano Mural Movement, was painted in 1991. The restoration project was celebrated by the community on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, original artists Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The La Raza Murals on Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana were restored to their natural state with the help of some of the original artists and the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association. The artwork, inspired by the Chicano Mural Movement, was painted in 1991. The restoration project was celebrated by the community, including two little girls, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, original artists Orange County Register/SCNG)
“Since 2017 the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood Association … along with the Santa Ana Community Artist(a) Coalition and local historian Mariana Bruno, have been working on finding a way to restore the civic center murals known as LA RAZA restoration project,” the Santa Ana Community Artist(a) Coalition wrote in a Facebook post. “We are grateful to the city of Santa Ana for this partnership along with the leadership of Councilman Jonathan Hernandez for never giving up on our community and project.”
“They created the ‘La Raza’ mural during a time when the neighborhood was experiencing loss of life due to gang violence and police violence,” Hernandez said. “So the mural was a peaceful one that was telling people, reminding them who we are. And the mural was respected for decades and was never tagged on.”
Hernandez, who has been an advocate for preserving and protecting local art since before he won his seat on the City Council, said the restoration of the murals is a victory for the Chicano community of Santa Ana.
“Everybody obtains more knowledge and becomes more connected to their community through this process of discovering our stories,” he said. “We also discover our power within the community, and I think that’s what these murals represented. It goes to show people just how positive we are when we work together.”
When residents pass by the murals off of Civic Center Drive, Hernandez said he hopes they see themselves.
“I want them to see their ancestors and their grandparents and their families who migrated here so that they can have the life that they have today,” Hernandez said. “For them to not ever forget where we come from, and that no matter where we are at in California, we are always surrounded by our home and our native roots and our indigenous roots to the land.”
