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Matthew Villarreal
Ms Batty
English 101
2/25/18
First Never Second
Modern day Hispanics deal with much judgment throughout our country. There are many

things that are used to express the hardships that Hispanic people have endured. Art is one of

those things. A mural in Los Angeles depicts Latino culture clearly, and vividly. This mural is

known as “The Wall That Speaks, Sings, and Shouts.” It was painted by Paul Botello with the

help of Adalberto Ortiz, Geraldo Herrera, and Gustavo Sanchez. In this mural, Hispanic people

are shown holding onto each other. Holding on for hope, for a cause. Judgment comes in all

shapes and sizes, regardless of age. That is why in this Mural there is an image of a boy holding

a computer. This implies that no matter the generation the Latino community will continue to

grow and make their mark in this society. Hispanics seem to be treated as second class citizens.

Hispanic people are the last to be treated as such. In fact, they should be considered first class

citizens. There are many reasons as to why I believe this, as you should as well. Hispanic people

are vital to our society and serve a much bigger role than people would think.

Hispanic people discovered this country before our “founders” did. Years ago, Cabeza De

Vaca took place. Cabeza De Vaca is a very relevant event in our countries history. Hispanics

from Mexico, including the Mestizo’s, step foot on North American soil nearly a century before

any European. Thus, Cabeza De Vaca is born. This shows that Hispanic people should not be

considered foreign if they were the first people here. This is their land, not ours. People with

Mesoamerican roots have much deeper roots with North America than people with European

roots. Which brings me back to my point that Hispanic people are the last people that should be
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considered second class citizens in this country. Yet many people to this day continue to view

Hispanic people as second-class citizens.

The Latino community’s roots are expressed all throughout the city of Los Angeles. In

1781 a group of Mestizo’s traveled to California and discover what is now known as Los

Angeles, California. A result of this discovery is the development of Olvera Street. Olvera street

is a street in downtown Los Angeles that is considered the birthplace of Los Angeles. It is the

hub of all Hispanic culture in Los Angeles. This area was colonized by Spaniards in 1781, the

same year that Los Angeles was founded. Unlike other places in the United States, Hispanic

holidays are taken very seriously in Los Angeles. The largest Dia de Los Muertos celebration in

California takes place in the Hollywood Cemetery. On November 1st of every year this holiday is

celebrated by praying to loved ones who were lost in the past years. This holiday is also known

as “Day of The Dead.” This event is a Joyous celebration filled with food, dancing, and music.

People are encouraged to dress up in costume and paint their faces like skeletons. Holidays are

not the only thing that shows how much Hispanic culture is apart of Los Angeles. If you spend a

day on the metro gold line and explore East Los Angeles, you will see that Los Angeles is filled

with predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. The streets are filled with tiny taqueria’s such as

Guisado’s, King Taco, etc. As you can see Hispanic culture runs very deep with Los Angeles. It

is apart of the founding of this city, and it is apart of us as residents of this city.

Los Angeles has the largest Hispanic community in the United States. Many people have

the misconception that most of this Latino community in Los Angeles immigrated here illegally.

In fact, about two thirds of the Latino’s that live in Los Angeles were born in this country.

Despite that fact Hispanics steal deal with judgement and misconceptions about them and their

culture. This fact itself makes it nearly impossible to deny the fact that Latino’s who reside in
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Los Angeles are just as American as anyone else, if not more. To assume that all Hispanic people

are here illegally to take people’s jobs is wrong and racist. Some people seem to see Hispanic

people as a threat, a threat to their jobs. However most of these people that say these things

wouldn’t even wan to do the jobs that some Hispanic people have. For example, no businessman

wants to be a janitor. No lawyer wants to be a dishwasher. We need Hispanic people. They are

the foundation of not only Los Angeles, but also the United States America.

Based upon the facts I have presented to you it is clear, that Hispanic people in Los

Angeles should not be considered anything less than first class citizens. Not only did they

discover this fine city, but they also make up most of the population in not only Los Angeles but

California in general. People use many forms of art to express their pain, their suffering. After

composing this essay, I have come to the conclusion that Mural’s are one the most effective

ways in getting a point across due to the fact that there are so many aspects of Murals that effect

the way you look at the mural. Shapes, colors, sizes can all affect the emotion you feel towards a

Mural. In the mural that I chose the Botello used people, culture, and color to express the pain

and suffering that the Latino community of East Los Angeles have been forced to grow accustom

too. They have been forced to feel that they are less than others, that they are second class. Based

upon what I have presented to you, it is clear that the Latino culture should not be considered

second class citizens, first class never second.

Works Cited
• Planas, Roque. (2015). 18 Major Moments In Hispanic History That All Americans Need
To Know. www.huffingtonpost.com
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• Gutierrez, G. David. (unknown). An Historic Overview of Latino Immigration and The

Demographic Transformation of The United States. www.nps.gov. National Park U.S
Department of the Interior.

• The Wall That Speaks, Sings, and Shouts Mural,

www.grconnect.com/murals/html/p9121321.html.

• Rendon, Leah, et al. “Things to Do in Los Angeles: Mexican Culture.” USA Today,
Gannett Satellite Information Network, 20 Jan. 2018, traveltips.usatoday.com/things-los-
angeles-mexican-culture-109133.html.