Mario is originally from Peru and grew up in Logan Heights. Learning about the community and its challenges from an early age. In the second half of the 60s Mario was a man on a mission when he joined the Chicano movement and helped initiate muralism in Chicano Park. The movement was called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement or “El Movemiento”. Along with other key activists, he helped fight for the right to keep Chicano Park and better their neighborhood and their quality of life. “Because of our energy we were able to clear the drugs out, get rid of the junkyards, and cleaned up the area, and I was proud,” explains Mario. He was in his early 20s when he painted his first murals. The murals painted in the 7.4 acres of Chicano Park narrate the history of the communities’ challenges, hardships, and victories. The murals not only depicted the past, but also captured the aspirations of what the neighborhood & community could become.

Mario’s murals are not only limited to Chicano Park and Mexican-American communities. In 1986 he painted the King Community mural at 32nd Street and Imperial Ave. The mural included Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Gandhi and other leaders that strived for peace. After years had gone by the mural started to deteriorate, and Mario was asked to help revitalize it. “I knew I had to do something because it was a piece of African-American heritage that was going to go away”.

Mario also wants to encourage the new generations of artists to participate in the revitalization of their communities. The movement that stemmed from the original 70s movement is now called Fuerza, meaning Strength. The latest project developed is the Chicano Park School of Art. “I realized I needed to start a school of art, so I just started showing up at Chicano Park to paint and pretty soon, other people started showing up too.” Mario along with other artists of different ages and ethnic backgrounds have been gathering at the park every Saturday for over a month. Mario calls it Chicano Park Root Days, and they’re not just painting murals anymore. “We’re planting trees, we’re digging earth sculptures, and making benches for the elders.” Explains Mario. It’s a people’s community school of art and Mario invites everyone to participate. “We want artists, but you don’t have to be an artist, anyone who wants to come and participate is welcome”.

The goal is to revitalize every open space available, and to have the murals that started at Chicano Park continue growing and expanding to other communities “We want to maintain our culture through the murals we paint,” he said

Mario who is now 54 years young continues his role of a community leader with a vision of a better tomorrow by teaching the younger generations artistic expression. He inspires the artist and activist in all. “Artists are the ones who are pioneers and move forward to change things,” says Mario.

And moving forward is just what Mario envisions for the future. In January he is planning a trip back to his native Peru and he along with other artists will be painting a mural and helping develop a cultural arts center. You can follow all of Mario’s projects on the Fuerza web site at www.Fuerzamundo.org .