The longest continuous mural in the world, the Great Wall of Los Angeles documents the diverse communities that have defined CA history

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 2017

Took a backwards bike ride through California history at the Great Wall of Los Angeles. This monumental mural (one of the longest in the world) began in 1976 under the supervision of SPARC in LA founder Judy Baca, to document the contributions and struggles of the diverse ethnic communities that make California what it is. The Wall has been expanded several times over the years, each time adding another decade of history, and there are reportedly further expansions planned for later this year.

Every time I pass by the Wall I’m reminded of all the displacements and social/racial ruptures that have forged LA and CA. The enslavement of the indigenous Californians by the Spanish; the internment camps at Manzanar; the harsh working conditions and massacre of the Chinese immigrants that built our railroads; Zoot Suit Riots and Chavez Ravine; unending discrimination against Blacks; the suffrage movement; Mexican deportations; the plight of Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi Germany. They’re all depicted here.

Of course the history of my state is more than horror and sorrow. The Wall also depicts achievements in science and sports and art, great moments of social progress and unity. The Wall captures a vibrant, many-headed place built of interlocking communities of people, growing and forging ahead and stumbling and messing up and figuring itself out. It’s a place to visit over and over, and it’s the best kind of public art – both local and universal, provocative and deeply humanist, and beautiful too.

Sources & Recommended Reading

+ Great Wall of Los Angeles @ Judy Baca’s website (includes detailed history, photos and description of each segment)

+ Great Wall of Los Angeles @ National Park Service website (includes a description of each segment)

+ Lyons, Allison M.: Great Wall of Los Angeles’s NRHP nomination form