Focusing on the Independence, Reform, Revolution Panel of this artwork, explain the Insurgents depicted on the mural about the 1. The War of Independence (1810–21).
Insurgents depicted on the mural In the bottom left corner of the middle panel, García Bustos placed, among other elements, insurgents associated with the War of Independence in Oaxaca. Many of the depictions of insurgents resemble images available on the internet so most insurgents can be identified. But not all are easy to identify. In cases of doubt, it is assumed that the images are of local heroes because the artist's stated goal is to depict people who frequented the Palacio de Gobierno. One publication claims that the images are "Matamoros, Allende, and Galena." But Allende and Galena, while they are important insurgents, they are not associated with the history of Oaxaca.
Those insurgents who battled locally are remembered in Oaxaca and other Mexican towns where streets bear their names and commemorate their roles in Mexico gaining independence. (It is said that at least 14,000 streets in Mexico are named after Miguel Hidalgo.) There is one image on the mural of the Royalists who defended the city against the insurgents and held the city longer than the 15 months during which the insurgents held it. We will look at it below.
Oaxaca Palacio de Gobierno Mexica insurgents Matamoros independence War of Independence Independence Royalist Allende Galena Miguel Hidalgo mural left