Chicago mural captures the lives of neighbors, essential workers
Pedro Duarte’s life story inspired two artists to paint what they believe to be the largest mural in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Duarte established his business, Carnitas Don Pedro, in 1981, after selling traditional fried pork in front of other stores on 18th Street for a few years after he arrived from Michoacan, Mexico.
Duarte died in 2017, but his story of building a business into a neighborhood institution, despite coming to the U.S. not knowing English and having an elementary school education, mirrors the experience of many others in the neighborhood, said Mateo Zapata, one of the mural’s designers.
The Mexican Americans who crafted the identity of the neighborhood are rarely showcased, and after Zapata approached Duarte’s family about a mural and he partnered with fellow artist Pablo Serrano, their vision centered on acknowledging “ordinary” residents as well as essential workers from the neighborhood, Serrano said.
Duarte, affectionately known
as Don Pedro, died three years ago. He loved Pilsen and its people, said his daughter Magdalena Castaneda. He was grateful to all of those who supported his business and often donated to local nonprofits, including giving food for the annual kermes bazaar for his church, St. Procopius Catholic Parish.
Now his three children and wife continue his legacy by managing the restaurant, using the carnitas recipe he left them.
Zapata initially approached the family, pitching them an idea about painting the mural on a blank wall of the restaurant building on West 18th St. The Duarte family immediately agreed to support the project and brought on Serrano, another neighborhood artist, to create a piece that would honor Duarte and pay tribute to the community that represents a Pilsen that’s been disappearing.
In September Serrano and Zapata painted a smaller mural to honor Latino essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, they focused on depicting Pilsen-area residents on the 400 square feet wall to show others their stories, Serrano said.
Though the mural will feature an image of Don Pedro and a few other community members who have died, most of the faces will be of people who are alive. At the center will be a phoenix holding in its mouth a serpent that morphs into a border wall and detention cages. At the top left corner, there will be a group of kindergartners playing with Legos in the shape of the city of Chicago. The mural will also include essential workers from the neighborhood.
“The wall is a reflection of who we are and it mirrors the community’s resilience,” Serrano said. “We also want to encourage others to acknowledge each other’s presence, power and strength.”
Carlos Nunez, 71, is the musician shown holding his guitar.
He plays and sings rancheras — traditional Mexican songs related to mariachi music — in the streets of Pilsen almost every day even while suffering from vertigo, which sometimes causes him to lose his balance, he said.
He loves to sing to make others happy, but he never expected any type of recognition, he said.
“This mural will make our neighborhood more beautiful and our image will be there forever regardless of the changes,” Nunez said. “I feel like a neighborhood here, it gives me the strength to continue singing and I’m sure my daughters will be proud to see me there.”
THE WALL IS A REFLECTION OF WHO WE ARE AND IT MIRRORS THE COMMUNITY’S RESILIENCE. WE ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO ACKNOWLEDGE EACH OTHER’S PRESENCE, POWER AND STRENGTH.
Artist Pablo Serrano