Oaxaca en la historia y en el mito (English: Oaxaca in history and myth) is a mural created by Arturo García Bustos (1926-2017). García Bustos was "an artist dedicated to the humanistic struggles and liberal ideals that he expressed profoundly in his art." He painted the mural in a huge stairwell in the Palacio de Gobierno in Oaxaca. Today the location is officially known as the Museo del Palacio Universum, but it is commonly referred to as the Palacio de Gobierno. It is located in Oaxaca de Juárez, México, known in English as Oaxaca City.
A pamphlet distributed to attendees at the inauguration described the mural as a "mapamundi oaxaqueño" or a Oaxacan worldmap. The mural is a visual history of Oaxaca from prehistoric times to modern times. The images selected and not selected in a visual history are key to the final message. Bustos focused on images of the liberal traditions and reform in his interpretation of the history of Oaxaca, largely leaving out those who opposed liberal ideas and also played important roles in Oaxacan and Mexican history. This article cites academic research and government publications, with the later being prone to perpetuating what has been called "mithified" history.In the artist's words: “Cuando pinté la escalera monumental del Palacio de Gobierno de Oaxaca sentí que lo que había que revelar era la historia que contenían esos corredores por los que habían transitado muchos de los creadores de nuestra historia patria.” (“When I painted the monumental staircase of the Government Palace of Oaxaca, I felt that what had to be revealed was the history that those corridors contained through which many of the creators of our national history had passed.") Many of the individuals portrayed on the mural did not literally climb the steps and pass through the corridors where the mural now depicts their history, as the artist suggests, The Government Palace was often not usable due to earthquakes in 1787, 1801 and 1931. But the individuals in the mural did shape the history of Oaxaca and even Mexico. And if the events did not occur in the building, many occurred in the nearby Zocalo and Cathedral.
The artist also explains: “Somos un pueblo con una historia antigua que ha demostrado su genio labrando piedras para edificar ciudades que quisieron alcanzar las estrellas, espacios reales en armonía con los paisajes, el cosmos y el hombre.” (“We are a people with an ancient history that has demonstrated its genius by carving stones to build cities that wanted to reach the stars, real spaces in harmony with the landscapes, the cosmos and man”)A glossy government-sponsored book about the history of Oaxaca published in 2019, includes this summary about the mural: "Si para un visitante es interesante apreciar estos murales, para un oaxaqueño debe ser obligatorio conocer cada una de sus imágenes y sentirse orgulloso de esta tierra mexicana." ("If it is interesting for a visitor to appreciate these murals, for an Oaxacan it must be mandatory to know each of their images and feel proud of this Mexican land.")The distinguished historian, Francie Chassen-López wrote in 1989, "la historia de Oaxaca es muy poco conocida (the history of Oaxaca is very little known). Understanding what Arturo García Bustos tells us about the history of this region in Oaxaca en la historia y en el mito is a good place to start, to understand some, but not all, aspects of the history of Oaxaca.
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