{"id":5062958,"date":"2026-01-08T04:57:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T12:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walatinonews.com\/?p=5062958"},"modified":"2026-01-08T04:57:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T12:57:52","slug":"seattle-murals-tell-stories-of-migration-identity-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/2026\/01\/08\/seattle-murals-tell-stories-of-migration-identity-and-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle Murals Tell Stories of Migration, Identity, and Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many Latino artists in Seattle use walls as canvases to tell stories and display powerful messages. One of them is Rene Julio Diaz, a muralist from Mexico City who believes mural art must be meaningful to everyone, not just those who share his background.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not really into decorative arts, because for me, it needs to be relevant.\u201d Diaz said. \u201cWhenever I paint, I try to put something cultural or something that displays current situations. I try to talk about what is happening or what needs to happen. It might look pretty, but I try not to make it just decoration.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattle.gov\" title=\"or Diaz, Seattle has been a welcoming canvas for his mural arts.\">For Diaz, Seattle has been a welcoming canvas for his mural arts.<\/a> Before he begins to paint, he sketches his ideas to show business owners what he\u2019d like to display. Many Mexican restaurant owners &#8211; already familiar with the mural art culture &#8211; appreciate Diaz\u2019s dedication and recognize the cultural significance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn Mexican restaurants, I have been free to paint whatever I want. The owners have been very open to that,\u201d he said. I give them a sketch and I get their permission. Many buildings in Mexico had murals, and now they are having projects to paint murals for the upcoming World Cup.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Diaz added that the city welcomed him even when he lived as an undocumented resident. One of the most memorable moments he had was at Washington Middle School, a place that helped him establish his career.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs I painted for Washington Middle School, they knew I was undocumented but they found a way to pay me and make it happen,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m very grateful for Seattle, and I would not move out of the city unless I have to.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Diaz said he feels a responsibility to give something back to the city &#8211; not only to Latino communities, but also those that oppose immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-35518039-35518039-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"pexels-photo-35518039-35518039.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-5062960\" style=\"width:772px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Casa Patron, a Mexican restaurant located near the Roosevelt Light Rail Station, displays one of Diaz\u2019s pieces: \u201cAmerica Floreciente.\u201d Owner Maximiliano Garcia said he thinks about his own culture when he looks at Diaz\u2019s mural.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you take a look at the art, all the details are related to the entire American continent,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWhenever people think of America, they usually think of the North, but this includes details about South America as well.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Garcia said his customers look at the art with curiosity and questions, and these interactions help create a more friendly environment for all visitors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey asked me many questions such as \u2018why this,\u2019 and \u2018why that,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cWe have food that came directly from South America and Mexico, so when people visit from there, we talk about food and this painting, so this art creates a sense of connection. This was painted around 2009 and yet it still grabs people\u2019s attention,\u201d&nbsp; Garcia said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silvana Centurion, who recently began working at Casa Patron, said she still remembers what she thought of the painting when she saw it for the first time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is the very first thing that caught my eye. It\u2019s not just a simple form of art, but it also has a lot of power,\u201d Centurion said. \u201cWhen you look at it, it just makes you stare at it and that is the whole purpose of it. I know so many people from everywhere and so many Mexican restaurants, and Casa Patron is one of the only restaurants I repeatedly come to.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Centurion said murals remind her of what Latin American communities value and emphasized how it can help others to build connections with their past.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019d love to see more Latin inspired murals, because it emphasizes warmth, family, love, and trust,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you are from Latin America and have done bad things in the past, you\u2019d still have a sense of respect, loyalty, communities, and about what we\u2019ve been through. Arts like this can be a trigger and it might encourage people to go back and do things they enjoyed doing in the past.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.udistrict.org\" title=\"Latino murals can also be found in the U District neighborhood\">Latino murals can also be found in the U District neighborhood<\/a>. \u201cKnot of Freedom<em>,\u201d<\/em> one of Diaz\u2019s murals, is located by the intersection of Northeast Campus Parkway and Brooklyn Avenue Northeast. It is located only a few blocks away from the University of Washington, which makes it easy to grab college students\u2019 attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daniela Maqueda, a Latina UW sociology major, said murals could evoke various emotions with their powerful messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI believe students who may relate or empathize with our current situations may see this as a powerful piece,\u201d Maqueda said. \u201cThey\u2019ll feel heard, spoken to, because many aren\u2019t by who is supposed to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Diaz\u2019s mural reminded Maqueda of a painting she saw from her childhood in Pacoima, California: \u201cYou Are Not Alone,\u201d painted by Juan Pablo in honor of Gabriel Hernandez, a child abuse victim.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis art made me think of the \u2018You Are Not Alone\u2019 mural,\u201d Maqueda said. \u201cI instantly thought of America\u2019s current state when I saw this art. My interpretation is that although our national symbol is meant to represent freedom and liberty, many are tied to the contradictory notions set by inequality and oppression.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maqueda hopes Seattle will display more mural arts so that people can feel a sense of connection and belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think expressing one\u2019s feelings, opinions, and motives can be shown in numerous ways, and I believe doing so in such a creative manner can help reach their goal to others more effectively,\u201d she said, \u201cI know Seattle is filled with talented artists who have the potential to make inspiring stories through their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-separator uagb-block-c7c707c1\"><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-separator__inner\" style=\"--my-background-image:\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Jeongwoo Kim <\/strong>is a fourth year student pursuing a double major in Journalism and Public Interest Communications with English at the University of Washington. He moved to the United States in 2013 from South Korea and wants to pursue a career in journalism or education.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Seattle, walls have become a way to talk. For muralist Rene Julio Diaz, art is not decoration but a public conversation about culture, migration, and the present moment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":5062959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[1433,23,25,4243,169],"ppma_author":[6047],"class_list":["post-5062958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","tag-culture","tag-hispanics","tag-latinos","tag-mural","tag-washington"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1.jpg",1703,2560,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1-200x300.jpg",200,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1-768x1154.jpg",768,1154,true],"large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1-681x1024.jpg",681,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1-1022x1536.jpg",1022,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/pexels-photo-26984756-26984756-scaled-1-1362x2048.jpg",1362,2048,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jeongwoo Kim","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/author\/jeongwoo-kim\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In Seattle, walls have become a way to talk. For muralist Rene Julio Diaz, art is not decoration but a public conversation about culture, migration, and the present moment","authors":[{"term_id":6047,"user_id":54,"is_guest":0,"slug":"melanie-rodriguez","display_name":"Jeongwoo Kim","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d0f75a96d63705c630c413951a4a625be5ef5c0a1bc5e2bb12cece733dd1f9cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","avatar_alt":"","avatar_decorative":"","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"mfb_acf":[],"mfb_rest_fields":["title","uagb_featured_image_src","uagb_author_info","uagb_comment_info","uagb_excerpt","authors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5062958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5062958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5062958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5062959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5062958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5062958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5062958"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5062958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}