Murals of revolutionary Nicaragua

Last updated October 07, 2023

In the decade of Sandinista rule following the triumph of the Nicaraguan Revolution in 1979, close to 300 murals were created in that country. These murals provided a narrative of the revolution, portraying recent and more distant history, and visualizing the better future promised by the revolution.^[1]

The first murals expressing solidarity with the Sandinistas were painted outside the country in Panama, by brothers Virgilio and Ignacio Ortega. They entered Nicaragua after the Sandinista takeover and continued their work there, and many other artists also took part over the following years. Despite the laws passed by the Sandinista government to protect the murals, most of them have since been destroyed.

Historical context

In the 1920s an anti-imperialist movement was founded by Augusto Sandino to break U.S. dominance in Nicaragua. His guerrilla army won a short-lived victory for socialist policies. Following his assassination in 1934, Nicaragua experienced forty years of repression and violence under the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, which had U.S. support. Somoza was overthrown in 1979 by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Daniel Ortega, the revolution's clan leader, enacted a series of major literacy, healthcare, and land reforms. In the context of the Cold War and anti-communist movements in the U.S., Nicaragua's attempts to redistribute land and wealth unleashed a hostile response from the U.S., which financed and armed the Contras, a counter-revolutionary force.^[2]

The mural movement was a response to the original movement of Sandino and the revolution that was inspired by him nearly 50 years later. The murals both offer a realistic portrayal of what happened in the Sandinista-Contra War and reflect the socialistic and optimistic values of the FSLN government. It was in the 1990s, when the Sandinista government was voted out of office and replaced by a U.S. supported rightist government, that the murals began to be destroyed.^[3]

The Felicia Santizo Brigade of Panama

In the 1970s, brothers Virgilio and Ignacio Ortega formed the Felicia Santizo Brigade of Panama. Inspired by the Ramona Parra Brigades in Chile they began to paint murals all over Panama. Choosing locations on and around army bases, their murals centered on themes of nationalism, Marxism, anti-imperialism, pro-Palestinian and pro-Sandinista view points.^[1]

The Felicia Santizo Brigade of Panama marks the story of the first muralist expression of solidarity with Nicaragua from the outside in the struggle against Somoza. Historically, theirs were the first revolutionary themed murals painted throughout Nicaragua. In September 1979, within two months of the triumph of the Sandinistas, arrangements were made to have the brigade paint a mural in Nicaragua. This guerrilla brigade made their entry into Nicaragua with the support of the FSLN army and, similar to their work in Panama, most of their murals were painted in army and police bases. Their work – in consultation with local sponsors and residents – was centered on military themes, focusing on the physical facts of the insurrection. For example, a mural from the Nicarao Community Center in Managua depicts an angry mob of men and women – some armed with rifles and others with knives – looking down at a prostrate National Guardsman. A dagger hovers just above his throat, and his eyes are white with horror. Other murals by the Felicia Santizo Brigade adorn long walls, crowded with gun-toting figures, reclining corpses, and portraits of revolutionary predecessors such as Lenin, Sandino, and Che Guevara.^[3]

The Panamanians were the first of many artists from abroad who came to Nicaragua in the years after the Revolution to express their solidarity with the nation's new political climate. Their murals were among the first painted within Nicaragua, and were also the first to be destroyed.^[1]

Mural themes

Revolutionary wall paintings in Leon, Nicaragua. Martires1959.JPG — Revolutionary wall paintings in León, Nicaragua.

The murals express a wide range of themes regarding politics, the people and the undocumented history of the nation,^[1] such as:

Insurrection:The pivotal event leading up to mural movement in Nicaragua was the Sandinista Insurrection over Somoza's government. The muralists took a different perspective than most artists previously in Nicaragua, depicting the battles against the Somoza government and preaching resistance against Somoza.^[1]
Power to the People: Nearly every mural centered on human figures: both monumental and miniature bodies, gestures and attitudes. The murals represent the idea of ordinary people taking power into their own hands. Many of the murals depict historical events and show representatives of the masses under the flags of Nicaragua and Sandinismo. Unarmed peasants and workers merge with the military scenes of the rebels in the defiant assertion of liberation and self-governance. The ideology of these paintings, in general, is not hidden. It is obvious who is the enemy and for what purpose is his fall (that is the fall of Somocismo, the Contras, and U.S. imperialism for the sake of the people).^[1]
A better society: Sandinista Socialist Programs: Except for a few murals that attack Somocismo and one that highlights the dangers of alcoholism, many of the murals convey positive social messages. They are looking forward to a better life, improved health, a world of play not poverty for children. The muralists paint the ideal life of a socialized society including especially figures of workers, peasants, Christians, women and youth. Many of the murals speak to the feminist agenda combating eloquently to the life, work, desires and achievements of women. Certain feminist issues, such as abortion issues, were not included in murals because they were considered too divisive for the still Catholic and traditional society. The willingness for women to bear arms, however, was included and depicted in several murals of an armed mother and child. Murals in hospitals depict Sandinista ideals of universal and free health care. A special concentration on murals that included the handicapped was also included, appropriately for a nation where tens of thousands had been maimed in the war.^[1]
An economy producing happiness: The murals, as a whole, never show a hope for a future of industrial growth and technological advance. The murals, with a touch of romanticism, paint Nicaragua as continuing in its traditional dependence on agricultural export crops, particularly coffee and cotton. The painters' simplification of the future of Nicaragua's economy, although aesthetically pleasing and hopeful, are not congruent with the Sandinista's plans to diversify and industrialize the Nicaragua economy, making it less dependent on western markets. However, in contrast to agriculture historically, the muralists paint coffee and cotton production no longer as a source of profit for U.S. capitalists and a production for markets wherever they may be, but rather for the purpose of human happiness and the profit of the workers. The peasants painted in the murals are beneficiaries of the hoped-for Sandinista land reform; however, many argue that this depiction of happy workers may simply be socialist optimism.^[1]
Identity of culture and revolution: Ernesto Cardenal, a poet, priest, Minister of Culture and propagator of Nicaragua revolutionary culture saw the revolution as a work of art. He saw no separation between the revolution and art. Consequently, to him and many others, the mural movement was another powerful weapon even during the aftermath of the revolution through its depiction of past injustice and of future, hopeful prosperity.^[1]
The Sandinista Pantheon: Through the murals, the key figures of the Nicaraguan revolution and counter-revolution lived on as representatives of what the Sandinistas historically and presently stood for. With few paintings centered on actual comandantes of the military, the Sandinista pantheon consists more of Nicaraguan martyrs, revolutionary figures of other countries such as Marx, Lenin and Che, and of Sandino. These figures all work to emphasize the values present in the Revolution and the governments that followed it.^[1]

Locations of murals

Throughout the mural movement, murals were painted all over Nicaragua. However, murals were unsurprisingly most concentrated in the areas in which the Nicaraguan revolution and Sandinista movements had been most intense. Following is a list of all the cities in which murals have been found and documented throughout Nicaragua and in parentheses is the number of murals that each town contains.^[1]

Managua: Center (12)
Managua: Suburbs (113)
Achuapa (1)
Asturias (2)
Bluefields (7)
Boaco (2)
Chinandega (2)
Ciudad Sandino (3)
Corinto (2)
Diriamba (3)
Diriomo (1)
Estelí (20)

Granada (5)
Jalapa (2)
Jinotega (4)
Jinotepe (2)
Juigalpa (8)
León (26)
Masaya (13)
Matalgapa (5)
Ocotal (2)
Pearl Lagoon (1)
Puerto Cabezas (2)
Rivas (4)

San Benito (1)
San Carlos (9)
San Miguelito (1)
Sébaco (2)
Solentiname (1)
Tipitapa (2)
Tonalá (1)
Wasala (9)

Destruction of murals

After the 1990 Sandinista loss in the Nicaraguan elections, the mayor of Managua, Arnoldo Alemán, started a campaign to paint over and destroy the murals, even though these murals were protected by various articles of the Nicaraguan constitution and Law 90.^[4] These statutes called for the protection of Nicaraguan culture, as well as for freedom of expression and preservation of "historic patrimony." None of those responsible for the destruction were ever successfully prosecuted.^[5] Alemán continually denied his sponsorship of the destructions and elimination of the murals and promised repeatedly to compensate the different artists for their lost artwork, although few payments were in fact made. It is suspected that much of the destruction movement was sponsored by the U.S. government in their attempt to eliminate pro-Sandinista, anti-U.S. imperialism propaganda from Nicaraguan society.^{[ citation needed ]} Many of the oldest, best and most centrally placed murals were painted over and now only exist in memory, or in some cases in photographic records. After Alemán's campaign was underway, however, a movement of artists and concerned groups began to raise funds to restore and protect these murals and were successful to some extent; new murals were painted as well under the eventual return of Daniel Ortega and the Sandinista National Liberation Front leadership in 2008.^[1]

Related Research Articles

José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator (1979–1985) of the Junta of National Reconstruction, and then as President of Nicaragua (1985–1990). During his first term, he implemented policies to achieve leftist reforms across Nicaragua. In later years, Ortega's left-wing radical politics cooled significantly, leading him to pursue pro-business policies and even rapprochement with the Catholic Church. As a part of this, his government adopted strong anti-abortion policies, and his rhetoric took on a new, strongly religious tenor, despite formerly having professed atheism.

Nicaragua is a nation in Central America. It is located about midway between Mexico and Colombia, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. Nicaragua ranges from the Caribbean Sea on the nation's east coast, and the Pacific Ocean bordering the west. Nicaragua also possesses a series of islands and cays located in the Caribbean Sea.

The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a left-wing political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistance against the United States occupation of Nicaragua in the 1930s.

The Constitutionalist Liberal Party is a political party in Nicaragua. At the Nicaraguan general election of 5 November 2006, the party won 25 of 92 seats in the National Assembly. However, the party suffered a devastating loss in the 2011 general election, losing 23 seats in the National Assembly.

Augusto C. Sandino, full name Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino, was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United States occupation of Nicaragua. Despite being referred to as a "bandit" by the United States government, his exploits made him a hero throughout much of Latin America, where he became a symbol of resistance to American imperialism. Sandino drew units of the United States Marine Corps into an undeclared guerrilla war. The United States troops withdrew from the country in 1933 after overseeing the election and inauguration of President Juan Bautista Sacasa, who had returned from exile. He defended his country bravely alongside the commanders Diego Zapata and Cornelio Bravo.

Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez was a Nicaraguan politician and guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change (AC) party in the 2006 general elections. In the years prior to the fall of the Somoza regime, Pastora was the leader of the Southern Front, the largest militia in southern Nicaragua, second only to the FSLN in the north. Pastora was nicknamed Comandante Cero.

The Nicaraguan Revolution encompassed the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) to oust the dictatorship in 1978–79, the subsequent efforts of the FSLN to govern Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, and the Contra War, which was waged between the FSLN-led government of Nicaragua and the United States–backed Contras from 1981 to 1990. The revolution marked a significant period in the history of Nicaragua and revealed the country as one of the major proxy war battlegrounds of the Cold War, attracting much international attention.

Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician. He was Mayor of Managua and a candidate for president in the 2006 Nicaraguan general election when he died suddenly.

Carlos Fonseca Amador was a Nicaraguan teacher, librarian and revolutionary who founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Fonseca was later killed in the mountains of the Zelaya Department, Nicaragua, three years before the FSLN took power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marxist–Leninist Popular Action Movement</span> Political party in Nicaragua

Popular Action Movement - Marxist–Leninist is a Hoxhaist communist party in Nicaragua that surged out of a split from the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in the early 1970s. Since 1985 it is officially named the Marxist–Leninist Party of Nicaragua, but the original name MAP-ML is far more known and has been used when participating in elections.

Sandinista ideology or Sandinismo is a series of political and economic philosophies instituted by the Nicaraguan Sandinista National Liberation Front throughout the late twentieth century. The ideology and movement acquired its name, image and its military style from Augusto César Sandino, a Nicaraguan revolutionary leader who waged a guerrilla war against the United States Marines and the conservative Somoza National Guards in the early twentieth century. The principals of modern Sandinista ideology were mainly developed by Carlos Fonseca, inspired by the leaders of the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. It sought to inspire socialist populism among Nicaragua's peasant population. One of these main philosophies involved the institution of an educational system that would free the population from the perceived historical fallacies spread by the ruling Somoza family. By awakening political thought among the people, proponents of Sandinista ideology believed that human resources would be available to not only execute a guerrilla war against the Somoza regime but also build a society resistant to economic and military intervention imposed by foreign entities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaspar García Laviana</span>

Gaspar García Laviana was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest who took up arms to fight as a soldier in Nicaragua with the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in 1977.

Tomás Borge Martínez, often spelled as Thomas Borge in American newspapers, was a cofounder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front in Nicaragua and was Interior Minister of Nicaragua during one of the administrations of Daniel Ortega. He was also a renowned statesman, writer, and politician. Tomás Borge also held the titles of "Vice-Secretary and President of the FSLN", member of the Nicaraguan Parliament and National Congress, and Ambassador to Peru. Considered a hardliner, he led the "prolonged people's war" tendency within the FSLN until his death.

The Sandinista Popular Army (SPA) was the military forces established in 1979 by the new Sandinista government of Nicaragua to replace the Nicaraguan National Guard, following the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle.

Dora María Téllez Argüello is a Nicaraguan historian known for her involvement in the Nicaraguan Revolution. As a young university medical student in León in the 1970s, Téllez was recruited by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Téllez went on to become a comandante and fought alongside later president Daniel Ortega in the revolution that ousted dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979. In the subsequent FSLN government, she served as Health Minister under Ortega and has also been an advocate for women's rights. She ultimately became a critic of repression and corruption under President Ortega and left the FSLN in 1995 to found the party Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), later renamed Unamos. Along with several other opposition figures, she was arrested in June 2021 by the Ortega government.

In 1979, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle, ending the Somoza dynasty, and established a revolutionary government in Nicaragua. Following their seizure of power, the Sandinistas ruled the country first as part of a Junta of National Reconstruction. Following the resignation of centrist members from this Junta, the FSLN took exclusive power in March 1981.

Camilo Ortega Saavedra was a Nicaraguan revolutionary with the Sandinista National Liberation Front who was killed in the struggle to overthrow the Somoza regime. He was the younger brother of eventual Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega and Nicaraguan Minister of Defense Humberto Ortega.

Luis Fernando Carrión Cruz is Nicaraguan politician. He is a former guerilla and one of the nine commandantes of the Sandinista (FSLN) National Directorate that overthrew the Somoza regime in 1979. Born to a wealthy, politically-connected family, he began college in the United States but returned to Nicaragua, first joining a radical Catholic group then the FSLN. He led the Carlos Roberto Huembes Eastern Front in Chontales during the final offensive of the revolution. He was a government minister and member of the FSLN National Directorate until 1995 when he split with party and became a cofounder of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS).

Leticia Herrera Sánchez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla leader. She was one of the first women commanders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) against the dictatorial government of Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua from 1974 to 1979.

Anarchism in Nicaragua emerged during the United States occupation of Nicaragua, when the workers' movement was first organized against the interests of foreign capital. This led to a synthesis of Latin American anarchism with the goals of national liberation, which influenced the early Sandinista movement.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Kunzle, David (1995). The murals of revolutionary Nicaragua, 1979-1992. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520081925.
↑ Plunkett, Hazel (2007). Nicaragua : a guide to the people, politics and culture . London: Latin America Bureau. ISBN 978-1566564380.
1 2 Rochfort, D (1997). "International Reflections of a National Struggle: The Murals of the Nicaraguan Revolution". Oxford Art Journal. 20 (2): 80–82.
↑ Goldman, Shifra M. (1994). Dimensions of the Americas : art and social change in Latin America and the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226301242.
↑ Craven, David (2006). Art and revolution in Latin America, 1910-1990 (2nd print. ed.). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300120462.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Kunzle-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Kunzle, David (1995). The murals of revolutionary Nicaragua, 1979-1992. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520081925.

[2] Plunkett, Hazel (2007). Nicaragua : a guide to the people, politics and culture . London: Latin America Bureau. ISBN 978-1566564380.

[Rochfort-3] 1 2 Rochfort, D (1997). "International Reflections of a National Struggle: The Murals of the Nicaraguan Revolution". Oxford Art Journal. 20 (2): 80–82.

[4] Goldman, Shifra M. (1994). Dimensions of the Americas : art and social change in Latin America and the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226301242.

[5] Craven, David (2006). Art and revolution in Latin America, 1910-1990 (2nd print. ed.). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300120462.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]