“La Cultura” Reborn!

This iconic mural on the outside of Sac State’s Lassen Hall, formerly the library, is not the first rendition of it! La Cultura was first painted in 1970 to celebrate the growing Mexican-American population at Sac State, but it was embroiled in controversy only 6 years later. Here is a timeline of the creation, destruction, controversy, and rebirth of the iconic mural celebrating Chicano/Mexican-American heritage at Sac State.

Creation and Meaning

• October 24, 1968: Former Sac State student Ed Rivera and the Mexican American Youth Association (MAYA) ask Sac State to paint a mural on the Library to celebrate and promote inclusion of the growing Chicano student and city population. Rivera and 50 members of the Chicano community begin working on the mural a year later.

• April 10, 1970: The State Hornet reports the meaning of the mural to the campus. It is a dedication to the Chicano Community and Mexican-American’s pre-Hispanic Indigenous heritage.
  • The left side depicts the Aztec gods Coatique and Huiztilapothtic searching for the prophesied eagle with a serpent in its mouth on a cactus. This is the legendary founding of Mexico City.
  • The frog legs in the middle symbolize the Chicano people always moving forward.
  • The serpant in the middle represents wisdom.
  • The right side of the mural is the eagle with a serpent in its mouth on the cactus.
  • In the right corner “El Respecto Al Derecho Ajeno Es La Paz” is written, or “Respect for the right of others is peace.”

• June 9, 1970: La Cultura is formally accepted as a gift to the university in a ceremony with artist Ed Rivera, Concilio President Lorenzo Patino, City Councilman Manuel Ferrales, and acting Sac State President Otto Butz.

Destruction and Controversy

• June 14, 1976: Sac State decides to remodel the old library building and later removes La Cultura as a part of a “campus beautification” project. Parts of the wooden panels are used to construct new library shelves

• August 31, 1976: The State Hornet reports that Painter Ed Rivera and students are outraged and feel disgraced by the mural’s removal.

• September 7, 1976: Representatives from the Chicano Faculty and Staff Association condemn the removal of the mural and call it “insidious” and an insult to the Mexican American community in a memo to President Bond.

• September 13, 1976: President Bond disregards the Chicano Faculty and Staff in his response, stating that it is university policy that all murals are temporary and can be removed at any time.

• September 24, 1976: Ed Rivera sends a letter to President Bond explaining that the mural was officially funded by the Sacramento Concilio and was a project between Sac State and the Chicano community of Sacramento.

• September 29, 1976: President Bond formally apologizes to the Concilio, Ed Rivera, and the Chicano community in a letter to the Concilio. He states that no administration members at Sac State realized that the mural was a part of a community partnership.

Rebirth

• November 22, 1976: The Concilio accepts President Bond’s apology, but states that the community is still deeply disturbed over the removal of the mural and that “it was a historical milestone” between the Chicano Community and Sac State. Concilio Director Henry Lopez demands;
  • 1. $800 of retribution to the Concilio to cover the costs of the mural
  • 2. Funding for the construction of a new Chicano mural
  • 3. Written communication from the university about the policies concerning this new mural
  • 4. A public apology through the official Sac State press

• 1978: Rivera repaints La Cultura, with Aztec King Montezuma on the left side now and the Mayan Calender as part of the middle panel. Otherwise, the mural mirrors the original design.

• 1998-1999: Rivera returns to touch up the mural and signs his name. A ceremony is held in his honor at Sac State on October 19, 1999.

• Present Day: La Cultura remains a permanent fixture of Lassen Hall and a beautiful symbol of Mexican-American history and importance at Sac State and beyond.

References

1. Bond, James G. “Letter from President James G. Bond to Mr. Enrique Lopez.” September 29, 1976.” CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
2. Bond, James G. “Memo from President James G. Bond to Chicano Faculty and Staff Association.” September 13, 1976.CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
3. Flyer. “Edward Rivera dedication/ reception.” 1999. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
4. “Former cop touches up Sac State Mural.” The Sacramento Bee, June 10, 1998. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
5. Hernandez, Isabel and Robert Pitti. “Memo from Representatives, Chicano Faculty and Staff Association to President James G. Bond.” September 7, 1976. CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
6. Informational Sheet. “Dean Ballesteros suggested…” June 14, 1976. CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
7. Johnson, Ann. “Mural gone…artist is mad.” The State Hornet, August 31, 1976. California Revealed. https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A84571.
8. Johnson, Charles. “Rivera’s Frog…A symbol of persistance.” The Sacramento Bee, February 20, 1977. CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
9. Lopez, Henry H. “Letter from Henry H. Lopez to President James Bond.” November 22, 1976. CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
10. “Mural on East Side of Student Services Center.” University Photograph Collection. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
11. “New Mural at Sac State.” The Sacramento Union, June 9, 1970. CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
12. Report. “I. Mural Chronology.” October 24, 1968. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
13. Rivera, Ed. “Letter from Ed Rivera to Mr. James G. Bond.” September 24, 1976. CSUS Campus Dormitories Records. Record Group 41. Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. California State University, Sacramento.
14. Warren, Bob. “Concilio mural to adorn SCC library building.” The State Hornet, April 10, 1970. California Revealed. https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A84571.