Ponce de León

Just5daysafterthedooronSanJoséStreetwasrepainted, a group of anonymous artists painted this piece on Ponce deLeónAvenueinsolidarity.ThispieceshowstheLaresFlag with the horizontal white stripe replaced by a machete and features revolutionaries such as Ramon Emeterio Betances, PedroAlbizuCampos,LolitaLebrón,andOscarLópezRivera.

ThispiecedepictssomeofPuertoRico’smosticonicimages: thegarita(orsentrybox)foundonthecapital’scolonial-era forts; the Puerto Rican flag; the flamboyán tree; and the straw hat. It would be a feel-good landscape, except the ominous skull transforms the art into a cautionary message. That message is reinforced by the quote beneath, drawn from the work of early 20th-century Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos, which translates as: “To allow yourself to be defeated by life is worse than to allow yourself to be defeatedbydeath.”

TO ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DEFEATED BY LIFE