EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Segundo Barrio is marking a new chapter in its decades-long mural tradition with the restoration of an iconic 1975 work and the unveiling of a new mural a few blocks away.
The restored mural, Quetzalcoatl, was originally painted in 1975 on the Better Business Bureau building by Arturo “Tury” Avalos and fellow artists known as the Muralistas del Barrio, Gabriel Ortega, Pablo Schaffino and Pascual Ramírez. Avalos was 18 years old at the time.
Speaking to KFOX14/CBS4 on Thursday, Avalos said the Aztec-inspired geometric design became a symbol of pride and resistance during a period when the neighborhood faced pressure from urban development. Fifty-one years later, Avalos said the mural is being restored to preserve its place in Segundo Barrio’s cultural history for future generations…