...you are surrounded by art

Traffic in Tucson is relentless. Luckily, frustrated motorists have plenty of time during the constant rush-hours to not only brush up on their bumper sticker reading skills, but to revel in the beautiful and unique murals that grace the roadsides.

Remnants of the Old West are prominent in this southwestern town.

On Grant Road just East of the I-10, the nostalgic mural below stretches along the busy road, blending into the landscape like a window into the city's past.



This Leslie Grimes mural is painted on the site of the old Farmer John Meats plant.






To learn more about the mural, visit its
Roadtrip America site.

A slide show of the mural can be found here from Tempe's Gerald Thurman.


But, more than just an old pueblo, Tucson is a border town. The influence of Mexican culture is prominent in more ways than one.

Below is a mural on the side of a video store in a southwest barrio depicting Our Mother of Guadalupe.



The iconic figure of the Virgin Mary painted here is prominent in Mexican culture. As the legend goes, a poor Aztec Indian named Juan Diego saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. The mother of Christ miraculously placed this image of herself on cloth to prove that Juan Diego was in fact her messenger.






Read more on Our Mother of Guadalupe at Catholic Online. Read more about the numerous Mother of Guadalupe murals in Tucson in this Tucson Weekly article by Margaret Regan. Or, find more on Chicano Murals in Tucson here.


These two murals are great examples of opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to Tucson art genre. However, there is no shortage of equally dynamic murals in this city. A short Sunday afternoon drive through the town is proof enough, but for more on all the Tucson art scene has to offer, visit the Tucson Pima Arts Council Web site.