Mural Location: 1307 J Street
Behind the State Theatre

Joel Aguilar (Livingston) has been in the art industry for over seven years and a muralist for two. Today, Joel is focused on multi-cultural murals, intended to represent local communities of the California’s Central Valley. In February of 2021, Aguilar made his mark as a social-historic artist in the South side of Merced with an art installation depicting civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Aguilar said, “I feel blessed to be honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in this area. The south side of Merced is a little bit neglected, and I am hoping my artwork speaks volumes here. Giving the walls a splash of color in our community can brighten someone’s day and encourage others to carry on.”

“El Guerrero—The Warrior” is the name of this mural, and Aguilar explained, it represents “la raza,”—meaning “the people,” and it was installed during Hispanic Heritage Month, something Aguilar felt was perfectly-timed.

The term la raza has roots in post-evolutionary Mexico as well as the U.S. Chicano movement of the 1970’s, a movement that helped elect some of the nation’s first Latinos to public office. Often mistaken for its literal meaning in English, “the race,” la raza is actually used to describe people whose families have migrated from Latin American countries.