Debate sparked by possible alterations to historic mural at Chamizal National Park

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Some residents are raising their voices against the potential repainting of an iconic mural in South-Central El Paso.

On Thursday, March 19, the superintendent of the Chamizal National Memorial Cultural Center, Gerardo Gonzalez, held a meeting with the public to discuss the repainting of a portion of the “Nuestra Herencia” mural.

“Nuestra Herencia” or “Our Heritage,” painted by El Paso native Carlos Flores in 1992, is an 18-by-120-foot mural on the east side of the Chamizal National Memorial Cultural Center, according to the center’s website.

The mural tells the story of regional cultural blending through symbols and images of both the U.S. and Mexico.

In 2016, for the park’s 50th anniversary, the center commissioned a restoration from Flores and his son, Marco Flores. The restoration included a new face in the mural: former U.S. President Barack Obama.

Before Obama, a rendition of opera singer Marian Anderson was on the original 1992 mural. The former president visited the Chamizal National Memorial in 2011.

Along with a new artist, Gonzalez showcased the rough drafts of what the new portion of the mural would look like to the public, which includes farmers, churches, a steam train, an American and Mexican native and former President John F. Kennedy.

Rough sketch of the portion of the new Chamizal National Memorial Center. mural. Photo taken by KTSM staff

“We’re celebrating each other through culture, tradition, experience, hard work, the treaties, our nation, our faith,” said the new artist during the meeting. This new work would remove Obama’s portrait.

Once the presentation of the rough drafts ended, the floor was open for the audience of 20 to ask questions and give feedback. One man got up and disagreed about the removal of Obama from the mural.

Gonzalez stated that this had nothing to do with DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) but said Kennedy is a better fit for his instrumental role in negotiating the treaty that created the Chamizal.

“The reason that President Kennedy is there is because it is by his doing that this land (Chamizal) exists now. There is no longer a fight between the United States and Mexico on the border,” Gonzalez said.

The man also said there was no representation for African Americans in El Paso.

“The railroads are a big part of African American history in El Paso. The people who built them were African Americans. So what you’re showing is now, you have no African American influence in it (rough draft of mural) at all, absolutely nothing. And we think that’s unacceptable,” the man said.

After the man, a woman got up to speak about the erasure of the original artist’s, Carlos Flores, work.

“I think we have to be concerned about a couple of these issues, and one of them is the erasure of the original artist and to appreciate the history of the artist and the feelings,” she said.

Gonzalez told the public that a portion of Flores’ work will stay up.

“The larger portion facing south that includes, that is Mr. Flores’ work, that includes from the missionary days to the African American history that’s there, and moving forward, right? If you go out and look at it, you’ll see it, right? That is going to stay. That’s not going anywhere,” Gonzalez said.

Marcos Flores said he isn’t pleased about painting over portions of his father’s work, and says that the story of “Nuestra Herencia” is changing meaning.

“I am not happy with what they’re doing, obviously. And I feel the fact that there’s no African-American representation in the new proposal is a very big misstep. I don’t know how that happened, but there’s a lot of little things with the new proposal that I obviously, for one, the fact that they’re covering up the mural and that they’re cutting it apart. The mural is one story. It should not be edited or chopped. So when you do something like that to a piece of work, then you’re just changing what it says,” Marcos Flores said.

Flores said he fears that with the newly painted mural at Chamizal will erase the history and story of the Borderland.

“My fear, because this administration hasn’t been quite honest, is that they will backtrack and they will erase everything, which is what they’ve been doing all over the country. That’s my biggest fear,” he said.

Janace Wallace with the El Paso Black Arts Association saying she’s disappointed with the removal of former President Obama from the mural.

“So today, unfortunately, I heard that the 44th president, Mr. Barack Obama, would be covered with a mural of two Native American women signing a peace treaty. And I believe that that’s very convenient for the situation. However, it’s not convenient for what we’ve been experiencing thus far in our community and in our culture,” Wallace said.

Wallace says after Thursday’s meeting, the artist can go back to the drawing board and hope that the history of African Americans in El Paso will be reflected in the mural.

“You know, our history continues to be erased. It continues to be overlooked. This is just another situation of that. I do feel that with the feedback that he received today, he (the artist) is going to go home and think about it. I think it’s important that we continue to have meetings like this each and every time a mural is going to be put up or is going to be placed in El Paso moving forward, just to make sure that they’re representing all of the diversity here in El Paso,” she said.

KTSM 9 has reached out to Gonzalez for comment.

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Debate sparked by possible alterations to historic mural at Chamizal National Park

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