Aurora Reyes, The First Woman Muralist in Mexico
“I am completely primitive and wild. I love freedom above all else” Aurora Reyes
Aurora Reyes
The activist, painter, poet and teacher Aurora Reyes was born on September 9, 1908 in Chihuahua Mexico, in a prestigious family that supported the government of Porfirio Diaz. During her childhood difficult times came, given the fall of the Porfirista regime, Aurora and her family were forced to move to Mexico City.
The Reyes family settled down in a popular colony, which allowed Aurora to perceive and live the Mexican reality of poverty and abuse, scenes that will be reflected later in her murals.
As a teenager, Aurora entered the National Preparatory School, where she had her first approach to the muralist through her new friends Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Later she took classes at the Academy of San Carlos.
In the 1930s, Aurora presented her best development in art, in teaching, in social struggle and in politics. She began her trade union activity, militated in the Mexican Communist Party (PCM) and entered the ranks of the League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists (LEAR).
In 1936 she won a contest and the opportunity to paint her first mural in the lobby of the Revolution School Center. There are seven murals in total that make up Aurora’s muralist work.
Aurora was also a teacher, poet and an activist for the rights of the working class, but above all, an activist for women’s rights.
This great pioneer of muralism, died in Mexico City in 1986.
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References:
Aguilar Urban Margarita. Los murales de Aurora Reyes: una revisión general (The murals of Aurora Reyes: a general review). Crónicas, Revistas UNAM. Recovered on March 7, 2020 from: http://www.revistas.unam.mx/index.php/cronicas/article/viewFile/17282/16466
Reyes, Aurora (2013). Material de Lectura, Poesía Moderna (Reading Material, Modern Poetry). Coordinación de Difusión Cultural Dirección de Literatura, UNAM. Recovered on March 7, 2020 from: http://www.materialdelectura.unam.mx/images/stories/pdf5/aurora-reyes-179.pdf
