A century ago, artists in Mexico began transforming walls into works of art, fueling the country's burgeoning muralist movement. To honor those artists and their work, a former Jesuit college in Mexico City is hosting an exhibition that showcases the significance of this monumental movement.
Experts say muralism arose in a highly politicized context, and many of the wall paintings criticize political leaders, inequality or the Catholic Church. At the time, the young muralists were influenced by revolutionary nationalism and academic scholarship that transformed their ideas about the country's Indigenous population. Some artists expressed their social and political views by painting divine figures or religious references.