Muralist - Sculpture - Fine Arts
En Homenaje a los Mártires de la Autonomía Universitaria
La Paz, Bolivia | Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), Main Patio
6m x 9m (19.68 ft x 29.53 ft) | Acrylic & Oil on Cement | 2011
This large-scale mural, located in the main courtyard of the historic Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia, pays tribute to the countless students who gave their lives in the fight for university autonomy and democratic freedom. Created in 2011, the work stands as both a memorial and a political statement—recalling the wave of student uprisings that erupted across the globe in the late 1960s and tracing their reverberations into Bolivian society throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
The mural reflects a turbulent era marked by political repression, military coups, and authoritarian rule, during which universities became critical centers of resistance. Bolivian students, inspired by global movements for justice and liberation, faced brutal crackdowns for demanding autonomy, free expression, and democratic governance.
Rendered in vivid acrylic and oil on cement, the composition features powerful imagery of defiant youth, books turned into shields, and broken chains—symbols of resistance, intellectual courage, and sacrifice. The mural not only honors those martyred in the struggle for educational and political freedom but also reaffirms the role of students as catalysts for change. It remains a living reminder of the price of liberty and the enduring fight against oppression.