Hot Art: Visiting Orozco’s Fiery Murals in Guadalajara
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Losing an eye and a hand in a fireworks accident didn’t slow down Jose Clemente Orozco’s creative fire!
His murals in Guadalajara are pure magic and a must-see when you’re visiting Mexico. If you’re exploring this colorful colonial city, prepare to be wowed by his jaw-dropping masterpieces!
The fiery Orozco murals
Orozco learned to paint at a young age.
But tragically, he injured his left hand at the age of 21 while making fireworks for Mexico’s Independence Day, and his hand and wrist had to be amputated.
This didn’t stop Orozco from painting, however.
Famous Mexican muralists
Orozco ended up becoming one of the three greatest Mexican muralists – keeping good company with Diego Rivera (Kahlo Frido’s lover) and David Alfaro Siqueiros, the other two renowned muralists.
The Mexican mural movement arose in the 1920s (right after the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1917), when Mexico’s education minister commissioned artists to depict Mexico’s history on public buildings.
Most of the Mexican people were illiterate, and this was a way for them to visually understand their heritage.
Many of these murals depict Mexico’s struggle for independence and the suffering of the masses.
The Orozco murals in Guadalajara
The 57 frescoes Orozco painted inside the Hospicio Cabanas in Guadalajara in the late 1930s are considered his masterpiece works.
Built as an orphanage and hospital, the Hospicio Cabanas is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, cultural center and museum.
The building itself is quite the architectural sight, with 23 patios and courtyards linked by pink tile corridors.
Hospicio Cabanas
Calle Cabanas 8, Plaza Tapatia Zona Centro, Las Fresas, Guadalajara
+52 33 3668 1642
Orozco Man of Fire
Of all the Jose Clemente Orozco paintings in Guadalajara, “Man of Fire” is the most intriguing (and one of the most famous).
Gracing the Cabanas’ lofty ceiling, the “Man of Fire” mural shows a blazing man in flames rising upward – from torment toward enlightenment? Two other men encircle him.
What a trompe d’oeil it is!
When we walked around while also looking up, it appeared the vividly painted orange, black and grey figures also moved around in a circle.
Miguel Hidalgo mural and other Guadalajara murals
We also saw many more Orozco murals at the governor’s palace in Guadalajara, which is now a museum.
Most striking is the huge painting of a feisty white-haired Father Miguel Hidalgo wielding a burning torch, which greets you while climbing the staircase.
Hidalgo, the father of the country, was the priest who inspired the Mexican people to rise up against their Spanish conquerors.
The Government Palace (or Palacio de Gobierno)
Avenida Ramon Corona 31, Zona Centro, Guadalajara
+52 33 3668 1825
One of the best things to do in Guadalajara
There are lots of interesting things to do when you tour Guadalajara.
One of them is seeing Orozco’s great works of art. They’re among the top Guadalajara attractions; if you love art and culture, viewing Orozco’s murals is one of the most interesting things to do in Mexico. So don’t miss them!
Seeing these emotional and thought-provoking Guadalajara murals opened our eyes to a world of art we hadn’t seen before.
Where to stay in Guadalajara
We enjoyed the lovely Villa Ganz Boutique Hotel. Converted from a former hacienda, it’s conveniently located close to several restaurants and bars.
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Experience more of Mexico!
Cabo San Lucas: From whale watching to hiking up the Pedregal, check out these epic things to do in Los Cabos.
Zihuatanejo: Want a great beach vacay? See the best beaches in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa.
Mexico City: Planning on spending 3 days in Mexico City? You’ll want to see this helpful itinerary covering the best museums, attractions and restaurants in the fabulous capital.
Puerto Vallarta: You’ll love these beautiful boutique hotels in Puerto Vallarta.
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Photo credits: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase
About the authors
I’d like to thank you for the info you share with us.
Mexico is a beautiful country, and I feel very proud of it.
Why, thank you for writing in! It’s understandable that you feel proud of your country :-). We would too if we were Mexican :-).
I was there last year and saw his paintings first hand. I can’t say that I was a huge fan, the lines are very hard and the colours bleak. But you see his paintings and you’ll always be able to identify an Orozco if you see one again.
Yes, Orozco’s work is pretty eye-catching, to say the least :-).
Frida wasn’t a muralist. The 3rd of the ‘big three’ is David Siqueiros…
Frida Kahlo was Diego Rivera’s lover. She wasn’t one of the three muralists, but she was a very interesting painter in her own right! And a fascinating woman…
Thanks too for sharing the name of the third of the muralists. We probably should have made this clear :-).
Frida Khalo was the wife of Diego Rivera. Best to get all the facts straight before printing.
Yes, they were lovers and spouses :-). They were married to each other twice, actually. And they both had affairs with others. Indeed, Frida and Diego had a very complicated relationship! Thanks for taking the time to comment :-).
Those are amazing. I love the fist coming down out of the celiing.
I love murals, these are quite spectacular wow. I’m another one that didn’t hear of Orozco before so thanks for this very informative post.
These murals are unbelievable! I truthfully know very little about art (such as not understanding why something wrapped in a burlap bag, with a title akin to “Thing in Burlap Bag,” belongs in a museum—yes, I’ve seen this), but this speaks to me. The message is clear and expressed with passion. This is totally the type of stuff I love discovering while travelling! Thanks for sharing, Janice :)
Great post, Janice. I really love street art and murals. And Guadalajara is definitely on my list of places to visit. Orozco certainly was quite the artist! Would love to see this in person.
That ceiling mural is pretty amazing. Its dark center is such a nice contrast with the surrounding light from the windows. Isn’t it great when you come across inspiring artists like Orozco? There is so much passion in his work – thank you for introducing me to him!
My father was an artist/art teacher. He took us to live in Mexico for a year 1963-1964. We lived in San Miguel de Allende, but he took us to Mexico City and specifically to the National University to see the murals of Orozco and Siquieros and elsewhere to see murals by Diego Rivera. Naturally, I think of him when I see the works of or read about the famous Mexican muralists.
How interesting! We visited San Miguel de Allende recently – but only for a few days. It must have been something to actually live there for a year as a girl. We know San Miguel is quite famous for its arts and culture and artistic influences.
Such beautiful murals and I had also never heard of Orozco so it’s been an educational read for me!
We too hadn’t heard of Orozco until visiting Guadalajara – Diego Rivera is more well-known to North Americans (perhaps because of Salma Hayek’s “Frida” movie).
These are great! I wasn’t familiar with Orozco (before I read your piece:-)