Political images from Central America

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

These were all taken recently. Thought you all may be interested. Apologies if any of my translations are incorrect.

http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/1152/graf1.jpg

Mural in front of the City University of the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, El Salvador.

It reads "Union and Force - Where there is a state, there is resistance."

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/739/graf2r.jpg

Another mural in front of the City University of the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, El Salvador.

It says "1930-2010 - Communist Party of El Salvador."

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8646/graf3.jpg

Mural inside of the City University of the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, El Salvador of Fidel Castro, et al. celebrating the victory of the Cuban Revolution.

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/9812/graf4.jpg

PCS mural inside the university.

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/3500/graf5.jpg

PCS stencil. Reads: "80 years."

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5944/graf6.jpg

Another stencil inside the university. It reads "Land and Freedom - The land belongs to those who work."

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3849/graf7.jpg

Murals along the inside wall of the university. On the far right is the logo of the Young Communist League of Cuba.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/6080/graf8.jpg

Another mural inside the university. It reads "To 38 years of military intervention in the University of El Salvador we stand in struggle."

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5346/graf9q.jpg

Another mural inside the university. It reads "Work, Study and Struggle - Long live comrade Edwar Contreras (Disappeared 7/2/2007) - First of all and above all, we are Marxist-Leninists."

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/3185/graf10.jpg

Another mural inside the university. It reads "July 30, 1975 - No to military intervention in the University of El Salvador."

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8194/graf11.jpg

Another mural inside the university. It reads "The revolution will not be exported. Revolutions are born in the bosom of the people. Create two, three, many Vietnams."

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1443/graf12.jpg

Another stencil inside the university. It reads "Get Organized."

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/6056/graf13.jpg

Another mural inside the university. It reads "This is the fight - The future is ours."

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6770/graf14.jpg

Another mural inside the university. It reads "The dominant classes tremble at the perspective of the communist revolution. - Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party."

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4059/graf15.jpg

Graffiti in Managua, Nicaragua that says "Long live the Sandanista revolution." This slogan and many like it appear all over Managua.

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7450/graf16.jpg

"Monument" of Augusto Sandino in Managua. To the right one of many billboards proclaiming the nature of the present day Sandanistas: "Nicaragua: Christian, Socialist, Solidarity."

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/3914/graf17.jpg

Billboard in Managua with picture of current president and Sandanista leader Daniel Ortega that reads "31 years of triumphs: Long live the revolution!"

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3930/graf40.jpg

Graffiti on the main road in San Jose, Costa Rica. It reads "Lenin lives."

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2498/graf19.jpg

"Anarchy is order" on a planter in the Plaza of Democracy in San Jose.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7968/graf20.jpg

The Legislative Assembly where the government meets in San Jose. And on the wall directly across the street is the following graffiti:

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4120/graf21.jpg

"We are winning! More opportunities, less police."

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3127/graf22.jpg

"Damn bourgeois Arias."

(Oscar Arias was the social-democratic president of Costa Rica from 2006 - 2010).

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/8758/graf23.jpg

"The government makes the rich richer and the poor poorer."

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/5793/graf24.jpg

"Autonomous anarchist assemblies."

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/222/graf25.jpg

"Long live the people."

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2002/graf26.jpg

"No police."

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1874/graf27.jpg

"Direct democracy."

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/1332/graf28.jpg

"Never vote."

And a block away, these:

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/2294/graf29.jpg

"October 12: Indigenous blood - October 12: Nothing to celebrate."

(October 12 is when "Columbus Day" is traditionally celebrated.)

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/5833/graf30.jpg

"Corrupt assembly."

"Nobel peace prize?"

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/3287/graf31.jpg

On left "Long live the guerrilla."

In the center "We don't want another conquest. Death to the capitalist state."

http://img811.imageshack.us/i/graf32.jpg/http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/9213/graf32.jpg

Self explanatory.

[Os Cangaceiros]

These were all taken recently. Thought you all may be interested. Apologies if any of my translations are incorrect.

http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/1152/graf1.jpg

Mural in front of the City University of the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, El Salvador.

I like that one.

[Red Commissar]

Pretty nice! I've always liked this kind of stuff. I agree with explosive, that one is pretty nice.

This one seems pretty detailed too...

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/6056/graf13.jpg

[AK]

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2002/graf26.jpg


I've always wondered, what does that O-arrow symbol mean?

[JacobVardy]

I've always wondered, what does that O-arrow symbol mean?

Its the squatters symbol. First documented in the IWW's "Hobo's Dictionary", a collation of symbols used by the homeless. This one meant that a house was abandoned and could be squatted in. These days its popular with anarchists involved in squatting and occupations.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Right. It appears on a number of walls in San Jose, and a few places in San Salvador.

[Sasha]

Its the squatters symbol. First documented in the IWW's "Hobo's Dictionary", a collation of symbols used by the homeless. This one meant that a house was abandoned and could be squatted in. These days its popular with anarchists involved in squatting and occupations.

almost correct, the circel with an straight arrow was an hobo sign for "go on"/"go further" i.e. "continue". As an contemperary symbol it was first used in the dutch squatter movement as an reference to the dutch squatting slogan "kraken gaat door" ("squatting continues"/"squatting will go on"). Pretty soon the straight arrow got replaced by the lighting bolt.

[chegitz guevara]

Thank you for these. :)

[Magón]

Ah man, there are some really great political tags hidden away in Mexico City, and other places in Mexico. Next time I'm down there, I'll have to take some pictures of them, they're pretty sweet if I can find some of them again.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Ah man, there are some really great political tags hidden away in Mexico City, and other places in Mexico. Next time I'm down there, I'll have to take some pictures of them, they're pretty sweet if I can find some of them again.

One thing that stuck about these is that they were almost all out in the open, in front of government buildings, in major plazas, etc.

[bluerev002]

These are amazing! Do you live in El Salvador? What is the general attitude there towards these symbols and to this style of street art?

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Nope. I was just passing through, though I did make some contacts. In San Salvador, the murals I saw were in or around the university, which has a pretty turbulent history. Some left groups have club houses or table on the university grounds. Outside of those folks, most people seemed to ignore them as far as I could tell. Even some of the people tabling obviously had very little interest in politics (some that I spoke to were more interested in vague utopians ideas and socializing with other members more than anything else, despite passively trying to hawk the latest Marxist-Leninist theoretical journal at the same time).

[Pretty Flaco]

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1443/graf12.jpg

Another stencil inside the university. It reads "Get Organized."


I really like this one.

[RedSonRising]

Central America's history of particularly brutal violence at the hands of United States imperialism and guerrilla movements makes it a good breeding ground for proletarian organization.