Odes to Visual Forms of Transformation and Resistance

In this presentation, I parallel the Latina/o/x concept of susto, a deep fright that dislodges the soul to gentrification. These framing challenges the prevailing narratives around gentrification and urban renewal plans, which are often described as life-giving and revitalizing, suggesting that the process will make those spaces safer. Instead, I emphasize the violence that displaced residents experience as a result of these changes. My study focuses on ethnic Mexican residents moving to neighborhoods that were defunded and abandoned, such as Houston’s Segundo Barrio and the Greater Heights, and many neighborhoods in East Austin. I explore how these residents work to restore the soul of their communities. To show this I reinterpret murals as tools for limpias, a folk healing practice meant to call back the soul into the body. This approach offers a unique perspective to discuss the local history of Mexican and Mexican American communities in Texas. This study will use East Austin’s “Loteria” by Johnny Martinez, “La Virgen” by Juan Ruiz, Angel Quesadas’ mural on Radio Hall in Houston, and the North Houston Pachuco Clause mural that used to reside in Airline.