Murals of Ecuador

Cayambe

The arts are a very important part of Ecuadorian culture. Traditional music is on every radio station, streaming out of every bus and floating through the countryside. Traditional dancing, accompanied by traditional instruments are the highlight of every local celebration. And visual arts, in all forms, is a part of every community. Art is featured in every public place; you see it in the plazas (as pictured to the right), in the architecture of buildings, and in the unique designs of hand-laid cobblestone roads. But more prominently displayed than any other form of art, is paintings- specifically murals. I’ve seen hundreds of murals in my travels around the country. Here’s a sampling of some of the most well-preserved or intriguing:

The most famous Ecuadorian painter is Oswaldo Guayasamín who lived from 1919-1999. Descending from Spanish and Indigenous parents, he used his brush to paint powerful cubist-style images of oppression and injustice in society, specifically focusing on the poverty
and suffering of the indigenous throughout South America.

To honor his work, the Ecuadorian Legislative Congress asked Guayasamín to paint a mural. He created a 3-D masterpiece depicting Ecuador’s cruel history of imperialism, and the oppression of women, minorities and the lower class. He hoped they would never forget. Covering about 1,600 square feet of the main wall facing the Legislative Congress, the mural’s 23 panels tell Ecuador’s history through portraits of heroes, dictators, tortured images of suffering, and a hopeful pair of delicate hands reaching toward a pre-Columbian sun. And yes, if you look closely, the power and manipulation of the CIA of the United States has had a role in Ecuador’s history and this Guayasamín mural.