Arkansas River Conservancy Board approves mural featuring Isaiah Vialpando
By DEVIN FLORES
On Wednesday, April 23, the Arkansas River Conservancy Board had their regular monthly meeting. As the final approving board for the Pueblo Levee Mural Project, they discussed and ultimately approved unanimously a mural dedicated to the historic importance of mariachi in Southern Colorado. This mural will feature Isaiah Vialpando wearing a traje de charro outfitas the centerpiece.
There was some concern from board members about whether or not this mural constituted a memorial to Vialpando, which is against the regulations of the Pueblo Levee Mural Project.
This project seeks to revive the Arkansas River Levee Mural, which was once the longest continuous painting in the world. Muralists submit artwork to the board for approval, and then paint their pieces upon the levee. A section of the levee is set aside specifically for art recognizing Pueblo’s history and culture.
Over a dozen community members came to give public comment in support of the mariachi mural, which was submitted by Diego Florez Arroyo. This is a rare occurrence for the Conservancy District, which usually has no community observers present at all.
However, after only one community member spoke, Board President Jim Prioreschi announced that the meeting would be dispensing with public comment “to save on time.”
The meeting then progressed to the first order of business without either a motion or a vote. It is unclear if this action was legal under the board’s own bylaws, which assign no such power to either the president or the board at large.
The mariachi mural concept was presented by Cynthia Ramu, coordinator of the Pueblo Levee Mural Project. She emphasized the importance of mariachi to Hispano and Chicano culture, to youth in the community, and the importance of Isaiah Vialpando as a spiritual representative of youth in mariachi. The board then moved to discussion of the proposal.
The discussion mostly centered around whether or not the mural was a memorial, with several members of the board expressing concerns.
However, Vialpando’s father Robert Cordova stood to speak on the mural and its importance. He emphasized that the art piece was not a memorial to his son, who was murdered in 2015, but an expression of the importance of mariachi.
One member of the board, Donna Phillips, voiced the opinion that mariachi did not belong in the ‘historic’ section of the levee mural. “I’m from Texas, and we have mariachi all over Texas and the Southwest. I see why it’s important, but I don’t know how it’s historically relevant to Pueblo,” she said. However, as she looked around the room and saw the expressions of the community members present, she backpedaled quickly.
“I absolutely believe [the mural] belongs in the historic section,” she said, unprompted, only a few minutes later.
After some further discussion, the board unanimously approved the proposal.
Cynthia Ramu gave a comment to La Cucaracha after the meeting. “I feel we made a major step forward in recognizing real people in Pueblo,” she said. “When real Puebloans are represented it speaks to our community, and helps them have a voice.”
Robert Cordova also commented on the importance of this art piece in the national mariachi scene. “I have people all over who are excited for this,” he said. “People from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are asking about it.”
The mural will likely be unveiled sometime this summer.
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Devin Flores is an independent writer from Pueblo, Colo. He specializes in local Colorado culture, history and politics.
