barondave: (Default)
barondave ([personal profile] barondave) wrote2008-07-28 08:07 am
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Hidden Minneapolis: Murals at a bus stop

Mural at Lake and 4th Ave Minneapolis
Mural at the bus stop on Lake and 4th Ave
from across the street
Minneapolis, June 9, 2008CE

Mural at Lake and 4th Ave Minneapolis
close-up of Mural at Lake and 4th Ave
Minneapolis, June 9, 2008CE

Mural at Lake and 4th Ave Minneapolis
Mural across the street from the bus stop on Lake and 4th Ave
view from the bus stop
Minneapolis, June 9, 2008CE


These two murals, which face each other on 4th Ave just south of the intersection with Lake Street, are probably the least hidden of any of the murals so far. Still, few people on my flist take the #11 bus, or stop at Lake Street, and this will be new to the ooties.

Forgive the three pics, but I wanted to impart a sense of place. In the top shot, you can see the bus stop (the small red sign on the left near where the person is waiting) as well as the intersection signpost. This is looking east. People stand at that stop all the time, and probably don't do more than glance at the mural behind them. The second shot is a closer view. Looks sort of like Duck Dogders on meth.

The third picture is across the street, looking west on 4th Ave. near the bus stop. [livejournal.com profile] gamerchick translated from the Spanish. The attribution on the lower right says, "Cuauhtemoc Huei Tlatoani, Tenochtitlan, Mexico, 1521" Cuauhtemoc, the great speaker, was the last ruler of the Aztecs, and is a revered figure in Mexico for standing up to Cortes, however unsuccessfully.

The Last Command of Our Venerated Leader Cuauhtemoc

Our destiny has now hidden itself, (or "been hidden", both readings are implied)
Our sun majestically
Concealed its face, and
It has left us in the most complete darkness.
Certainly we know that it will return again
That it will come out again and newly arrive
To illuminate us. Insomuch as it
Remains there among the dead, soon
Let us gather and in the center of our
Heart let us hide all that our
Heart loves, we know that it is our
Treasure and to us it is like an emerald stone...

Until such time as our new sun deigns
To come out, may our venerated fathers and mothers
Never forget to speak of it to our children,
And teach to their children while they (the fathers and mothers) live,
Just how good, until now,
Our beloved Anahuak has been...Now we
Pass on the work to our children:
That they never forget to teach to their children
How resplendent the dawn will be, how
Our venerated sun will spread again,
And exactly how she will conserve her strength,
And how she will greatly fulfill her promise,
Our beloved mother Anahuak!

- Cuauhtemoc Huei Tlatoani, Tenochtitlan, Mexico, 1521

(Note: Anahuak is the Nahuatl [Aztec language] name for the Valley of
Mexico, where Tenochtitlan [capital of the Aztec Empire] was located.
Tenochtitlan is now modern-day Mexico City.)

We began this short multi-cultural iconography at the Western bar which used to be an Irish pub with the wild mural in the parking lot on the same block as a Muslim prayer center. Three blocks later we've seen large murals from an arabic culture, a latino culture, some wild imaginations and an image from Mexican/Native American culture. While I think I've recorded all the murals near this section of Lake Street, to fully revel in Minneapolis street culture one must duck into some of the shops and restaurants and talk to some of the people as they pass by.

edited to add translation from [livejournal.com profile] gamerchick

[identity profile] gamerchick.livejournal.com 2008-07-28 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
If you're interested, I can translate the Spanish on the third photo if you have a higher resolution/size. As it is, all I can read is the caption, which says "The last command of our venerated leader Cuauhtemoc."

[identity profile] barondave.livejournal.com 2008-07-28 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, I'm interested. Two pics are flinging their way to your gmail address.

[identity profile] gamerchick.livejournal.com 2008-07-28 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
They've arrived. Do you want the translations sent to you as a comment to this entry, or as an email? I can do either.

[identity profile] gamerchick.livejournal.com 2008-07-28 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, check your email - I just sent you a "quick and dirty" translation that should get the point across, at least.

[identity profile] barondave.livejournal.com 2008-07-28 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! I've added your translation to the main post. If I hear from Cuauhtemoc I'll tweak the text.

[identity profile] prettymuchpeggy.livejournal.com 2008-07-28 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, we're beginning to rival Winnipeg. (Ruth used to take pictures of the murals there before she started working in China.)