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"In the summer of 1979, the Hubbard-Richard Agency in Detroit, Michigan commissioned Michigan artists Martin Moreno and George Vargas to create an outdoor mural, decorating the busy corner at Ste. Anne (Saint Anne) and Bagley Streets. Located in the heart of the Latino community, the mural site is surrounded by a diverse racial/ethnic population, all living in the shadow of the great Ambassador Bridge, the border crossing that links the United States and Canada. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) City Spirit Program, and coordinated by Detroit's Cultural Arts Department, the mural project was directed by Carolina Ramon who recruited community members to help the two artists with the general design. The mural attracted much community support during its creation. For example, Ste Anne's Catholic Church donated the use of its scaffolding. During the mural's production, neighbors would bring gifts of food and drink to nourish the artists as they worked on the scaffolding in the heat of the summer sun. Local artists frequently would stop by to make suggestions while witnessing the mural's progress.
Finished in late fall of that year, the mural was soon dedicated and was well received by the local community. Shortly after its dedication, Hubbard-Richard erected security lights both to protect it and to illuminate it so the mural could be viewed at night as well as during the day. Because of the community's pride and its constant vigilance, the mural suffered little graffiti or vandalism, if any at all.
When the building underwent a massive renovation project several years later, the architects and contractors performed a virtual miracle; they tore down the rebuilt nearly the entire building while maintaining the beloved mural, making sure not to damage the integrity of the wall or destroy the painting. Upon completion of the new architecture, the builders joined the old mural wall with the new building, creating a unique expression in architecture that testifies to the power of public art.
Finally, after twenty years of harsh Michigan winters and intense summers the mural's painted surface was suffering from extensive peeling and faded colors. It desperately needed restoration. Detroit artists Vito Valdez and Kelly Callahan were commission by Bagley Housing to restore it in 1997. After consulting with the original artists, the duo used old photographs of the mural to complete the restoration, bringing it back to its original magnificence. Today, it is popularly referred to as the City Spirit mural. As we enter the new century, CitySpirit yet prevails as a recognized symbol of Mexican Town. It is the only outdoor public mural from the Latino Mural Renaissance of the 1970's that has survived in the Motor City.
The Design
After consulting with community members, Moreno and Vargas first considered the architectural integrity of the wall, designing the mural according to the theory of architectonics: architectural decoration to complement the built and cultural environment. One of the most important models that they considered was Diego Rivera's Detroit fresco cycle executed in 1932 and 1933 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Its design features a historical and cultural portrait of the city of Detroit and the State of Michigan, from ancient to modern times. Inspired by Rivera's simple but accurate narrative of agricultural, industrial, and scientific technology of a contemporary era in Michigan, the two artist organized the design elements according to a symmetrical framework: a simple tree would unify the ancient (right side ) and contemporary (Left Side) worlds.
The giant tree at the center of the mural serves as a symbol of life in many world cultures. We find the Cosmos Tree symbolized in the stem of the Jewish menorah candlestick. The tree of Paradise is portrayed in African, Hindu, Sumerian, Chinese, and Japanese religions. The Cosmic Tree is prominently featured in Pre-Columbian, Egyptian, Christian, and Buddhist art as source of life and cosmic energy. The tree represents the whole, the synthesis of earth, water and heaven. It joins the three worlds, making communication between them possible. It also symbolizes the feminine power, the Great Mother Goddess who nourishes, protects, and shelters us. This particular tree serves as a unique symbol that embraces the multicultural population of Detroit and the Great Lakes. IT also reminds us of Michigan's lumber industry, and its major role in expanding the state's economy.
Below the Tree, the unique geology of Michigan is pictured, a source of various minerals and fuels in the Great Lakes region. Iron ore provides the steel, which eventually is used in the manufacture of automobiles, the states leading industry. The strata also include ancient fossils, referring to the land's primal life forms. Humanity is nourished by the earth, and we are obliged, in turn, to protect and revere this important source of non-replaceable wealth that has sustained many peoples throughout our history, from the oldest to the newest of generations.
In the mural, the Hands of God support and project the Tree. On the right, a masculine looking hand, juts out from Mother Earth, symbolizing the duality principle, and the ancient world. On the left, the Hand of God is made of steel, representing the precious metals found in the geology of Michigan, as well as the steel industry. Directly in the center of the tree trunk, we see two monumental figures: the African status (left) refers to the genius of great African civilizations, as well as the African American contributions made to the economic and cultural prosperity of the state. Its right hand is extended in a gesture of peace and goodwill.
The colorful Kachina figure (right) stands for the Native American presence in Detroit. It also reflects the cultural influence of the ancient Mexican Rain/Water God (Tlaloc or Chac). The ancient Indian civilizations of the Great Lakes were linked to the vast trade network of the Mexicans in the south. Goods were exchanged between the Indians of the Great Lakes and the Mexicans, as well as cultural and religious influences, which can be seen in the achievements of the famous Hopewell mound builders of southern Michigan. The Great Mound of Rive Rouge at neighboring Delray is but one of many earthworks reflecting the influence of these mound builders in their special culture.
The ancient Amerindian world is pictured on the right side of the mural painting. The influences of the great Meso American civilizations yet reverberate in our contemporary world in the realms of architecture, medicine, science, mathematics, religion, and the arts. In the center of the right panel, Quetzalcaotl (meaning plumed- or feathered-serpent), the Mexican Prometheus who created the present humanity, stands protecting the American continent and the entire planet Earth. He assumes the recognized stance of Leonardo Da Vinci's Renaissance Man. Behind him, a huge full moon emerges, a symbol of super fecundity, intense passion, eternal renewal, and the feminine principle; Luna's unseen nature, the mysterious and dark self, is a constant influence on humanity. The god of life and wind, Quetzalcaotl appears as the great benefactor of mankind, full of divine love and practical wisdom. He discovered com, the keystone in the Mexican/Amerindian diet. He also cultivated the arts (for example, mosaics and feather work) and industry (for example, dying cotton different colors when weaving fabric). Most important, he taught us about the concept of time and the invention of the calendar - a tool used in planting and harvesting crops, as well as cosmic prophesy. An ever popular icon in Mexican and Chicano culture, this god bridges earth, water and the heavens, while reminding of his self sacrifice and of his promise to return in the contemporary era and liberating his people, ushering them into the new sun.
The reclining Chac Mool, refers to the ancient rain god Tlaloc, holding a receptacle in its hands meant to contain offerings. Placed in front of the most important temples in Mexican ceremonial centers, the Chac sometimes held a compass indicating both the axis mundis and the Four Corners of the earth. In late Mayan times the statue likely represented a fallen warrior ( or warrior-king). In modern times Henry Moore, celebrated British sculptor, created a distinct looking reclining figure using and abstract style, inspired in part by ancient and primitive art expressions, such as the Maya chac mool.
The advance Mexican civilizations( most notably the Olmec, Teotihuaca, Toltec, Aztec, and Maya cultures) are symbolized by their supreme achievement: sacred architecture and architectural decoration. The actual construction of pyramidal temples, tombs, and other structures were unified according to a shared cosmology, mediated for worshippers by various priestly orders, as in Egyptian architecture. The pyramid temple replicated the man-made mountain, symbol of the sacred home of ancestors and gods, as well as a source of precious water. Ceremonial centers were carefully laid-out and painted in beautiful colors, decorated with hieroglyphic writings and monumental sculptures. The most important temples were dedicated to respective cult gods or favorite city-gods, and the architectural style in each center identified a certain culture. Many temples could actually be read as prayers: some acted as time pieces or sundials, allowing the viewer to tell the time of the day or note the season according to the Mexican calendar system.
Near the Tree, we see a Mayan temple, which the artists synthesized by combining two famous temples found in Chichen Itza: El Castillo and El Caracol (the castle and the Snail; so called by modern-day discoverers), both dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. The former was built to acknowledge the movements in the heaven, and during the solar equinoxes the pyramid cast a shadow that depicted a moving serpent. The caracol was employed as a scientific observatory to study and record cosmic movements. Because rouds building were always dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, astronomically associated with the planet Venus, this temple purposely resembles a conch shell, which is part of the wind god's headdress. A column decorated with a stylized feathered serpent reminds us of the special role that this god played in Mexican cosmology and religion.
In the left panel, modern Mexican Town emerges as a major junction in the Latino community, underscoring the strong presence of the Mexican/Mexican American culture in Detroit, while representing a critical part of the total multicultural/multiracial Latino population in Michigan. Also, Detroit is one of the major cities in the U.S. claiming a significant concentration of Latinos.
Latinos in modern history have worked in agricultural fields and mines, built railroads and highways, and made our world famous cars; today they can be found prevailing in all sectors of public and private work. Near the steel hand, we can see the old Hubbard-Richard building, and above that, is Ste Anne's Church, the city's oldest Catholic church. (Its founder, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, also is the founder of Detroit). Ste Anne's is a fine example of French-Gothic architecture, with its circular stain glass window resting between twin towers. In recent history, the church has served as an organizing force in the Latino colonia.
Note the crack in the sidewalk in front of Hubbard-Richard, indicating the spot from which the mural was borne, sprouting from hard concrete and asphalt. Aware that a major urban renewal was being planned, the artists also included a new plaza with trees (below the church) as a symbol of rejuvenation. Across the street, a tortilla factory, Mexican restaurant, and other local businesses stand along the well known street. The street directs our visions to the hub of downtown Detroit, characterized by the Renaissance Center and other architectural landmarks. The moon's counterpart, a rising sun, symbolizes ancient history giving way to the contemporary times. Above the sun, a man and a woman toil in an auto factory, Latinos contributing to the overall cultural and financial growth of the city and to the economic development of the state of Michigan and the country.
This mural CitySpirit is a true monument to the neighborhood it serves, and to the City of Detroit, for it is more than a painting: It has lasted for more than twenty years, simply because the people see and feel their presence resonating within the mural itself, a precious mirror that no one can break.
- Dr George Vargas (August 31, 2000)"