Explore the Design and construction of this artwork.
Zapata developed his own mural method, which he used for the work, when he was a student of Diego Rivera in Mexico. He was commissioned by the municipal mayor Antonio Ledezma and the university. In a 2008 interview, Zapata said that they promoted him as the mural's artist by referring to him as a painter but that they secretly wanted him to make it a cartoon, and so he resolved to make it "a caricature done by a painter". He also said that he "wanted to entertain drivers stuck in traffic".The mural is made of 45,000 stoneware tiles, each 20 x 20 cm, cooked at the Pienme plant by ceramist Ricardo Ceruzzi, using single-firing furnaces. It was installed by the company Cerámica Carabobo. It is 165 metres long and 11 metres tall and has experienced deterioration since its construction but has also been the focus of restorers due to being large and popular.The name translates to "drivers of Venezuela", with the mural depicting historic figures like Simón Bolívar, Simón Rodríguez, Teresa de la Parra, Armando Reverón, and José María Vargas driving vehicles.
stoneware José María Vargas Diego Rivera Armando Reverón Teresa de la Parra Simón Rodríguez Simón Bolívar single-firing Ricardo Ceruzzi Antonio Ledezma