Existing comment:
Emanuel Martinez
born Denver, Colorado 1947
Tierra o Muerte
1967
screenprint on manila folder
In 1967, Martinez joined the Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Land Grant Alliance) in New Mexico, led by Reies López Tijerina. Starting in 1966, the Alianza fought to reclaim communal land rights guaranteed under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) that ended the Mexican-American War. To legitimize their quest, the artist adopted the likeness of Emiliano Zapata, a hero of the Mexican Revolution, and changed the leader's historic refrain "Land and Liberty" to "Land or Death." In doing so, the print connects the land reform and wealth distribution of the Mexican Revolution to the Chicano movement's fight against political and social injustices. Created at the height of Alianza's activism, when they had little funds, Martinez printed the image on manila folders that had been donated to the organization.
Gift of the artist, 1996.8 |