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Ashly Lopez

Professor Batty

English 101

4 June 2018

Stories Behind the Colorful Walls

Art is created by using different colors and shapes that create images about anything. Art

can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on your point of view. In every community

you walk in you’ll see walls painted with images that have a connection of an event that has

happened in the past. An event that impacted the lives of those who live in that community.

These painted walls are called murals. Some are based off on wars, immigration, famous

activists, important events and the list goes on. One mural that connects to one of the biggest

issue that is happening right now is called “Under the Same Moon”. This mural painted by Alex

Rodriguez based on a movies with the same title, is a representation of Latino/a immigration who

come to this country in search of new opportunities. This mural shows what some of the

struggles immigrants can face along the way when coming to the U.S.A. We shouldn’t treat

immigrants any different that we’d treat anyone else. Although this political climate that we’re

facing has made others to think of immigrants as people who only commit crimes, steal jobs, are

murders etc. But immigrants have shown to value their opportunities just like anyone else and

should be given respect and equality. These are undocumented people who work hard enough to

have a better life and achieve it in every way possible.

As mentioned before this mural is based off from a movie with the same title that

appeared on the big screen the year of 2008. It’s a story about a Mexican single mother who
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lives in Los Angeles by herself. Her son is left behind living with his weak grandmother who at

one point in the film passes away. That becomes the reason for the little boy to cross the border

in search for his mother. The mother crosses the border with hopes of making a better life for

herself and son. But she comes across a dead end job as a cleaning lady. This movie is a

representation of how hard it is for immigrants to succeed in the U.S after leaving their families

behind. But it also shows how they manage to meet their goals despite the struggles they face.

Separated by borders. That is one of the many points this mural makes about immigrants.

Which is a true point in real life. Hispanic families leave behind loved relatives in exchange for

better opportunities in life. This mural shows two different points of views. One from the mother

who is living in the U.S undocumented. The second view comes from her little son, who stayed

in Mexico under the care of his grandmother. Many immigrants decide to cross the border to

build a better life for them and their families. But the border tears them apart. This mural has two

sides which are divided by a fence that has wires on top of it. This image of the fence can be a

representation of the wall that exists in real life that many immigrants jump to cross the border.

The Mexican side is on the left and the American side is on the right of this mural. In addition,

the left side of the mural has a brown colored helicopter painted in the sky. This may emphasize

the way immigrants are stopped in order to not cross the border. This can be another way of how

immigration separates families. Sometimes they’re detained by the border patrol, kept away from

their families but eventually sent to their native lands alongside their families. This can show

how immigrants try to better themselves even if it means risking their lives for it. They’re

determined to work hard and earn enough money to sustain their families who live on the other

side of the border.

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Borders do separate families but immigrants have big reasons to cross it. Sometimes they

have no other choices left to choose from. Immigrants leave their own countries for many

reasons, one of them being that they live in poverty and not by choice. When looking at this

mural you can see that on the Mexican side there isn’t much going on. The road is pure brown

dirt. Nothing fancy like a real road made of concrete. The small houses at the end of the road are

painted with dull colors, surrounded with an old payphone standing on the side of the dirt road.

This can represent the poverty people face while living in Mexico, making others leave to the

U.S. The right side of the mural which represents the American land is more vivid. Tall pink

buildings with spotlights coming out of them can be seen at the end. Green palm trees surround

them while a black limo is parked in front of a building. Then a grey tour bus is driving down the

road that is actually made of concrete. This side of the mural can be interpreted as the prosperity

these immigrants are looking for since they cannot find it in their lands. The mother of the child

is seen washing dishes on the American side. Once these undocumented individuals arrive they’ll

accept the first job that is offered to them. Working in supermarkets or in vegetable/fruit fields

that comes with working under the hot sun with long hours but little money. This shows how

hard working immigrants are, despite what others might say about them. Others should be more

sympathetic because these people do go through a lot of struggles.

As mentioned before in a previous paragraph, murals are painted based off from

important events or issues that have happened and affected a community. So of course people

can have opinions about them. This mural is about a family who is separated by a border. Which

comes to be a representation of immigrant families who go through the same thing. From a social

view this mural represents the idea of people wanting to come to the U.S because they believe it

is better and there are more opportunities for them. One example that can be seen in the mural is
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painted on the right side which is the U.S, On the bottom a greenish mixed with a brown colored

field of crops is being walked by a caramel skin colored immigrant who is picking out the red

crops. But on the top right side, tall pink buildings with a shiny limo and tour buses with bright

spotlights are shown. This can emphasize the path that people believe they will achieve vs. what

immigrants are forced to do which is to get hard jobs such as a field worker. When looking at

this mural you will see a film strip going across from one side to the other. Los Angeles is the

main city of the film industry, which comes with a lot of money. This image can be seen as a

way of saying that America is rich and has prosperity which is what immigrants are looking for.

It can also mean that if these undocumented people work hard enough for what they want then

one day they will have all these riches and a good stability to support themselves and their

families.

Moving on from a social view to a political view. Hispanic communities live in a state of

constant fear do to our current political climate. The government’s thoughts on immigration is

that it’s bad and has been called a “crime” by the President himself. This mural is a painted

picture in a wall that paints immigrants as hard working people. These people are trying to

provide food and shelter for their families and establish a better future for them as well. This

mural is a painted demonstration that shows a way to protest against harsh views that are not

relevant. It is divided with both sides, which is how the government is.

“Under the Same Moon.” What does that mean? It can mean different things to different

people because we all see and think things differently. The message of this mural can be found in

its own title. At the end of the day when the sun hides and the moon makes its appearance we are

all living under the same moon. We should not treat immigrants any different that we’d treat

anyone else because we’re all human beings. If anything, immigrants value their opportunities.
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“Murals speak to political histories, social struggles and beliefs about justice.” (Donahue 2) This

statement from an article called “Chicano Murals” can emphasize that murals in fact do show

some kind of viewpoint about anything. This art is expressing the idea of immigration by using a

Hispanic family of two that is separated by boundaries rather than being together.

Immigration will continue to exist. Families will continue to be separated by border but

will manage to work hard for what they want. All immigrants coming from all over the world

have a reason to leave their families behind and cross the border. But at the end of the day, we all

look up to the night sky and see the same moon. We are all human beings finding a way to live

life without trying to die for it, under the same moon.
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Works Cited Page

Donahue, David M. “Connecting Classrooms and Communities through Chicano Mural Art.”

Multiculturalism Perspectives, vol.13, no. 2, 01 Jan. 2011, pp.70-78

Sailer, Steve. “East Side story.” The American Conservation, no. 7, 2008, p. 28