Jorge Mendoza (left) and the master Solón Romero working on the unfinished  mural "Juana contemporánea del pueblo", 1979. Technique: lacquer pyroxylin;  dimensions:  4.5 x 3.3 meters ( 14’x 11’ feet); University Major San Andrés Heritage, La Paz-Bolivia.

Mural Juana del pueblo inconcluso

UMSA/FAADU, campus Obrajes

Por Jorge Mendoza, 1979-2026

En la primavera de 1979 comencé a crear el mural “Juana contemporánea del pueblo” para terminar mi licenciatura en Bellas Artes, con la supervisión del maestro Solón Romero, un muralista de renombre y experimentado. Aprendí que el muralismo es estático y tiene sus propias reglas diferentes a las de la pintura de caballete, que en la composición de la obra se debe considerar el espacio: abierto o cerrado, que la perspectiva debe ajustarse a la estatura media del espectador y que la iluminación es otro factor crucial.

En cuanto al tema elegí estructurarlo en dos etapas: 1) un re-cuento del caótico presente de muchos golpes de estado en que me tocó vivir como universitario, y 2) entrelazarlo con el tiempo pasado representado por la lucha del pueblo por la independencia de la república de Bolivia (1808-1825). Asimismo dejar un mensaje de paz y unión.

Entonces decidí rendir homenaje a la mujer boliviana con un mural sobre doña Juana Azurduy (1780-1862) y su papel en la Independencia de Bolivia (1825).  Debo recalcar que hay pocos estudios serios sobre este tema. En mi mural incluí: a) el entorno/núcleo participativo de la familia de Juana: a) su esposo, Manuel Padilla (1774-1816) y sus cuatro hijos; b) al poeta guerrilero quechua Wallpa Rimachi Mayta (c. 1793–1814); y 3) también a los Montoneros de Mendez quienes participaron activamente en las luchas por la independencia iniciadas en Chuquisaca, Bolivia 1809.

Doña Juana demostró su valentía en la batalla de Pintatora (1815) al regresar al combate después de dar a luz y capturar el estandarte español (!) 

Realizé muchos dibujos/estudios en grisalla y grabados en blanco, verde y negro. Estos estudios iniciales fueron para estudiar  los elementos de composición, claroscuro y otros factores del mural. La historia central se desarrolla en tiempo pasado y muestra a doña Juana con el brazo izquierdo levantado y diciendo: deténganse! Ella carga un hijo en su espalda, y con su brazo derecho sostiene otro hijo, mientras que otro hijo en primer plano está de espaldas llamando atención con sus brazos alzados, finalmente otro hijo y varios guerrilleros cargan el cuerpo del hermano muerto en la batalla.

La composición es triangular y circular y esta historia es cinética basada en mis estudios y  el aporte de Masaccio y Masolino:  Tribute money/Pago del tributo (1424), fresco en Capilla fresco en la capilla de Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. De esta manera representé tres acontecimientos sucesivos en una escena : i) nacimiento/pasado; ii) la batalla/presente; iii) el futuro/el pueblo luchando enfrente de la Universidad UMSA. Encima de Juana está la nube de guerrilleros cabalgando en la lucha. Ellos son: su esposo luchador, don Manuel Ascencio Padilla, un héroe valiente  junto  al poeta quechua Wallpa Rimachi Mayta. Todos están luchando por la libertad boliviana contra la corona de España en un episodio histórico de la Revolución de la Intendencia de Chuquisaca*, 25 de mayo 1809: esta es la primera gesta histórica conocida como "el primer grito libertario de las guerras de la Independencia de América!” Doña Juana alcanzó el grado de Teniente Coronel en 1812, y Simón Bolívar sugirió nombrar el país Azurduy en su honor.  

En el lado derecho de este mural, representé un evento real e importante del presente que impactó mi vida: “el golpe de estado de la cocaína”: el 1 de noviembre de 1979 en La Paz, Bolivia, conocido como la masacre del Día de Todos los Santos. Este fue el entrenamiento para el golpe posterior de 8 meses después del general Luis Garcia Mesa el 17 de julio de 1980   Aquel día me desperté con el ruido de disparos que re-sonaban cercanos pues vivía en Miraflores, cerca del Estado Mayor del Ejército y del mirador de Laikakota. Aquel día fue alterado por el golpe de estado de Natusch- Busch y lo presenté de acuerdo a mi visión: mostré a personas emergiendo de ambos  lados detrás del cuerpo de doña Juana: ellos  están protestando defendiendo la democracia y el voto popular contra los militares que están al marchando lado derecho del edificio monobloc central de la Universidad Mayor de San Andrés en la Avenida Arce. Esos militares armados masacraron al pueblo paceño (universitarios, profesores, trabajadores mineros) que solo tenía armas de fabricación casera! Los milicos están flanqueados por una tanqueta y atacan a la multitud con perros militares. Personalmente, llevo la cicatriz de la mordida de aquel sabueso militar en mi talón derecho; tuve que saltar del muro del atrio hacia el jardín para escapar de la persecución. Este mural refleja la violencia del régimen narco-militar, que causó sufrimiento y más de 1500 muertes. Aquel fue el primer golpe de Estado con participación descarada del narcotráfico en Bolivia, liderado por militares corruptos como Alberto Natusch-Busch y otros comandantes bolivianos. Ellos se aliaron con narcotraficantes como Roberto Suárez Gómez, líder del cartel de Santa Cruz, “La Corporación”, que suministraba cocaína a organizaciones criminales, carteles internacionales. Estos delincuentes -el ejército y el cartel- torturaron y asesinaron a muchos mineros, profesores, líderes universitarios y artistas bolivianos. Esta cruel y desmesurada represión fue parte del Operación Cóndor (1975-1980)**, una campaña de represión política de USA y de dictaduras de extrema derecha en Sudamérica que usaron inteligencia, golpes de Estado y asesinatos de izquierdistas. Debido a una orden de mi búsqueda y mi captura por los narco-para-militares, tuve que volar a México, dejando inconcluso el mural para continuar con mi obra en esta vida.

*The Chuquisaca Revolution was a popular uprising on 25 May 1809 against Ramón García de León y Pizarro, Governor-intendant of the Intendancy of Chuquisaca (or Charcas) (today Sucre, Bolivia). The Real Audiencia of Charcas, with support from the faculty of University of Saint Francis Xavier, deposed the governor and formed a junta.^[1] The revolution is known in Bolivia as the "First Cry of Freedom" (Spanish: Primer grito libertario), meaning the first phase in the Spanish American Wars of Independence. The level of hostility against the Spanish Crown and news from both the American Revolution and the French Revolution has made historians dispute whether such a description is accurate. However, accounts depict it as the first step towards liberty in Latin America against the Spanish Crown

**https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_C%C3%B3ndor

The Unfinished "Juana of the People" Mural
UMSA/FAADU, Obrajes Campus
By Jorge Mendoza, 1979–2026

In the spring of 1979, I began creating the mural "Juana, Contemporary of the People" as the final project for my Fine Arts degree, under the supervision of Master Solón Romero, a renowned and experienced muralist. I learned that muralism is static and follows rules distinct from those of easel painting: the composition must take the space—whether open or enclosed—into account; perspective must be adjusted to the viewer's average height; and lighting is another crucial factor.
Regarding the subject matter, I chose to structure the work in two stages: 1) a retelling of the chaotic present—marked by numerous coups d'état—that I lived through as a university student; and 2) intertwining this with the historical era of the people's struggle for the independence of the Republic of Bolivia (1808–1825). My aim was also to convey a message of peace and unity.
I therefore decided to pay tribute to Bolivian women with a mural centered on Doña Juana Azurduy (1780–1862) and her role in Bolivia's independence (1825). It is worth noting that there are few serious studies on this subject. In my mural, I included: a) the participatory core of Juana's family—her husband, Manuel Padilla (1774–1816), and their four children; and b) the Quechua guerrilla poet Wallpa Rimachi Mayta (c. 1793–1814); and 3) also the *Montoneros* led by Mendez, who actively participated in the struggles for independence that began in Chuquisaca, Bolivia, in 1809.
Doña Juana demonstrated her bravery at the Battle of Pintatora (1815) by returning to combat after giving birth and capturing the Spanish standard (!)
I created many drawings—grisaille studies and prints in white, green, and black. These initial studies were intended to explore compositional elements, chiaroscuro, and other factors relevant to the mural.
The central narrative unfolds in the past tense, showing Doña Juana with her left arm raised, crying out, "Stop!" She carries one child on her back and holds another with her right arm, while a third child stands with his back to the viewer, drawing attention with raised arms; meanwhile, another child and several guerrillas carry the body of a brother killed in battle.
The narrative is cinematic in nature, and I drew upon the work of Masaccio and Masolino—specifically *The Tribute Money* (1424), a fresco in the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. In this way, I depicted three successive events within a single scene: i) birth/the past; ii) the battle/the present; and iii) the future/the people fighting in front of the UMSA University. Above Juana, a cloud of guerrillas rides into the fray. Among them is her husband and fellow fighter, Don Manuel Ascencio Padilla—a brave hero—alongside the Quechua poet Wallpa Rimachi Mayta. They are all fighting for Bolivian freedom against Spain during the Revolution of the Intendancy of Chuquisaca on May 25, 1809—a historic event known as "the first cry for liberty of the American Wars of Independence!" Doña Juana attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1812, and Simón Bolívar suggested naming the country Azurduy in her honor.

On the right side of this mural, I depicted a significant real-life event from the present that impacted my life: the "cocaine coup"—which took place on November 1, 1979, in La Paz, Bolivia, and is known as the All Saints' Day Massacre. That day, I woke up to the sound of gunfire that seemed close by, as I lived in the Miraflores neighborhood, near the Army General Staff headquarters and the Laikakota lookout. The day was disrupted by the coup led by Natusch Busch, and I portrayed it according to my own vision: I showed people defending the popular vote, emerging from both sides behind the figure of Doña Juana; they are protesting against the military troops positioned to the right of the central "Monoblock" building of the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés on Arce Avenue. Those armed soldiers massacred the people of La Paz—university students, professors, and miners—who possessed only homemade weapons! The troops were flanked by an armored vehicle and attacked the crowd with military dogs. I bear the scar from a bite by one of those military hounds on my right heel, and I had to jump from the courtyard wall into the garden to escape the pursuit. This mural reflects the violence of the narco-military regime, which caused immense suffering and over 1,500 deaths. It was the first coup d'état in Bolivia involving the brazen participation of drug traffickers, led by corrupt military figures such as Alberto Natusch Busch and other Bolivian commanders. They allied themselves with drug traffickers like Roberto Suárez Gómez—leader of the Santa Cruz cartel, known as "La Corporación"—who supplied cocaine to criminal organizations and international cartels. The army and the cartel tortured and murdered many Bolivian miners, professors, student leaders, and artists.  This cruel and excessive repression was part of Operation Condor (1975-1980), a campaign of political repression by the US and far-right dictatorships in South America that used intelligence, coups, and the assassinations of leftists. Due to an order for my arrest by the narco-paramilitary groups, I had to flee to Mexico, leaving my mural unfinished.

*The Chuquisaca Revolution was a popular uprising on May 25, 1809, against Ramón García de León y Pizarro, Governor-intendant of the Intendancy of Chuquisaca (or Charcas) (today Sucre, Bolivia). The Royal Audiencia of Charcas, with support from the faculty of the University of Saint Francis Xavier, deposed the governor and formed a junta.[1] The revolution is known in Bolivia as the "First Cry of Freedom" (Spanish: Primer grito libertario), signifying the first phase in the Spanish American Wars of Independence. The level of hostility against the Spanish Crown and news from both the American Revolution and the French Revolution has made historians dispute whether such a description is accurate. However, accounts depict it as the first step towards liberty in Latin America against the Spanish Crown

**https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_C%C3%B3ndor

First stage of the unfinished mural " Juana del pueblo” and after its restoration process in 2015; at the University San Andres, La Paz Bolivia. Notice the damage and vandalism that endured this mural!!

Jorge Mendoza the painter and Mauricio Bayro the restorer and painter  at the Juana contemporánea’s, Mural Heritage room.  

After the 1979 narco militar coup-de-eat, the master Solon had to take refuge in the Swiss  Embassy and J Mendoza had to flee to México due he was threatened by the army and the henchman were after him. This mural was camouflaged and preserved from the milicos command destruction by many heroes: don Poli the gardener, Branco the ceramist, the male model, Tina the Spanish secretary, and the art students! Nevertheless, it was vandalized in some areas by some anonymous coward! So, in order to preserve its integrity the mural’s room is closed. 

Lately, this mural had some restoration with the following interventions:

1)  Consolidate the mural's lacquer painting layers to isolate from humidity;

 2) Control the humidity avoiding decay and detachments layers from the supporting wall;

3) control the impact levels on the beams that supports the walls;

3) installed adequate lighting  avoiding its deterioration, wear and tear. 

http://www.semanarioaqui.com/index.php/cultura/1074-el-mural-inconcluso-de-solon-romero-y-jorge-mendoza