Tierra o Muerte

Emanuel Martinez, Tierra o Muerte, 1967, screenprint on manila folder, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1996.8, © 1967, Emanuel Martinez
Emanuel Martinez, Tierra o Muerte, 1967, screenprint on manila folder, 11 34 × 9 12 in. (29.8 × 24.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1996.8, © 1967, Emanuel Martinez

Artwork Details

Title
Tierra o Muerte
Date
1967
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
11 34 × 9 12 in. (29.8 × 24.1 cm)
Copyright
© 1967, Emanuel Martinez
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums Description
screenprint on manila folder
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure male — waist length
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Chicanx
  • Object — weapon — sword
  • Object — weapon — gun
Object Number
1996.8

Artwork Description

Description in Spanish

En 1967, Martínez se afilió à la Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Land Grant Alliance) en Nuevo México, encabezada por Reies López Tijerina. A partir de 1966, la Alianza luchó para reclamar los derechos à la tierra comunal garantizados de conformidad con el Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) que puso fin à la guerra entre México y los Estados Unidos. Para legitimar los objetivos de esta organización, el artista adoptó la figura de Emiliano Zapata, un héroe de la Revolución Mexicana y cambió la histórica frase del líder Tierra y Libertad” a Tierra o Muerte”. Al hacerlo, su grabado vincula la reforma agraria y la distribución de la riqueza de la Revolución Mexicana con la lucha del movimiento chicano contra las injusticias políticas y sociales. Creada en el momento culminante del activismo de la Alianza, cuando disponían de muy pocos fondos, Martínez imprimió la imagen en carpetas de manila donadas à la organización.

¡Imprimir la revolución! Auge e impacto de las obras gráficas chicanas, desde 1965 hasta hoy, 2020

Works by this artist (3 items)

Emanuel Martinez, Farm Workers' Altar, 1967, acrylic on mahogany and plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the International Bank of Commerce in honor of Antonio R. Sanchez, Sr., 1992.95
Farm Workers’ Altar
Date1967
acrylic on mahogany and plywood
On view
Emanuel Martinez, Cesar Chavez, n.d., pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Haynes Family, Jorge, Roxanne, Rebecca and Ben, 1998.155
Cesar Chavez
Daten.d.
pencil on paper
Not on view
Emanuel Martinez, Tierra o Muerte, 1967, screenprint on manila folder, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1996.8, © 1967, Emanuel Martinez
Tierra o Muerte
Date1967
screenprint on manila folder
Not on view

Related Posts

Close up of a man in a sombrero
How Chicanx protest artists in the 1970s used discarded materials in their work
A photograph of Claudia Zapata
Claudia Zapata
Former Curatorial Assistant of Latinx Art
An installation photograph of an artwork of faces in a rainbow tone
Exploring how Chicanx artists continue to use graphic arts as a response to issues of the time
A photograph of Carmen Ramos by Ross Whitaker
E. Carmen Ramos
Former Curator of Latinx Art
A photograph of Claudia Zapata
Claudia Zapata
Former Curatorial Assistant of Latinx Art

More Artworks from the Collection

Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view