pan american unity: panel 2

Elements from Past and Present

With a graceful swan dive, the City College diver Helen Crlenkovich blends ancient Mexico into the Bay Area. Rivera wrote, "The conquest of time and space was symbolized by a woman diving..." In the upper section, the contemporary Mexican artisan carving the sculpture of Quetzalcóatl, the plumed serpent god, represents the continuity of Mexican ancient culture. In the lower section, Rivera depicted himself painting the "portraits of the great liberators--Washington, Jefferson, Hidalgo, Morelos, Bolivar, Lincoln, and John Brown."