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LOGAN SQUARE — A mural commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Spanish conquest in Mexico is now covering the wall underneath the “L” tracks at Fullerton and Milwaukee avenues.
Artist Nino Rodriguez, who goes by the name Tselone, is behind the mural. Rodriguez, 46, said his family is originally from Mexico and he wanted to honor Mexico’s “rich history.”
Rodriguez enlisted upwards of 50 neighbors of all ages and backgrounds to help him paint the mural last week. The result is a colorful display of Aztec iconography, a subject Rodrigurez has studied for years.
Rodriguez said he used images of a serpent and a sun, both of which play an important role in Aztec iconography.
Credit: Mina Bloom/Block Club ChicagoThe mural was done in partnership with the city’s department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Other neighborhood groups including Project Logan lended a hand.
It’s the second mural Rodriguez has done in partnership with the city. He painted one at his son’s school, Beard Elementary at 6445 W. Strong St.
Rodriguez grew up in Uptown but currently lives in Belmont-Cragin. He studied fine arts at the American Academy of the Arts and Columbia College Chicago.
This year marks the 500th anniversary since the arrival of Hernán Cortés to Mexico. The Spanish explorer and his men invaded the capital of the Aztec empire and killed thousands of Aztecs and destroyed the city, claiming Mexico for Spain.
Many in Mexico have not recovered from the invasion, deemed one of the most “dramatic clash of civilizations” in Mexican history.
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