On my first trip to San Francisco, I was exploring the Mission district on the hunt for their famed murals. While there are many works of art in the area, the most murals are found within one block at Balmy Alley. Located off of 24th Street, it is about a 5 block walk east of the 24th/Mission BART stop. The first murals started in the 70’s initially depicted human rights and political abuse in Central America. The first murals were done by Patricia Rodriquez and Graciela Carillo who became known as Las Mujeres Muralistas.
Here are some of my favorite:
Indigenous Eyes (1991) by Susan Kelk Cervantes
A Tribute to Archbishop Oscar Romero (2001) Artist Unknown
The Missing Page from Where the Wild Things Are (2003) by Guarina Lopez
Las Milagrosas (2001) by Mary Nash
Naya Bihana (2002) by Martin Travers
While you can do it on your own, tours are offered by Precitaeyes if you want a more in-depth exploration of the artistic works. Or check out this site to map all the various murals in the city.
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