Florencia Denti

Mexican Rotulos: Commercial Muralism

Hand-painted commercial signs, better known as rotulos in Mexico, became common after the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920, when businesses started trading again. They are used as a visual aid to sell products, advertise, or simply embellish storefronts. Though anonymous, many of these signs display great artistic skill. Sign-makers are not instructed in the canons of academia, they acquire their knowledge as an apprentice of someone who has been working in this field for years, and they normally address customers from a similar social background as themselves.

In a contemporary urban landscape literally covered in logos and advertisements from big corporations, rotulos stand out because of their humorous messages and colourful letters and caricatures. Rotulos are part of the vernacular language with which people offer services, products and express themselves; in addition, they represent a living catalogue of what takes place in the city, from a record of what people eat (a gastronomic history archive) to an urban navigation aid for those who don’t speak the language or know how to read.

This signage has permeated the art world. Contemporary artists have retaken not only their iconography, typographies and chromatic language but also the medium from which they come. Many photographers, designers and creatives have captured their beauty (or lack of it) because they are key elements of the cityscape of Mexico. Today they are appreciated as nostalgic elements that capture the daily spirit of a Mexico that is dying out due to the digital era associated with modernity. Despite being painted on street stalls, rotulos are not ephemeral murals, rather they are painted to last a lifetime, or at least for as long as the business endures. For this reason, the signs are also a constant source of employment as from time to time the signs must be restored. Long term, this method results in a greater resilience than digital printing and is more sustainable too.

Sign painting is not only an essential part of Mexico City's public space but also an important component of its visual culture. Many of us consider it an expression of popular art that should be studied, protected, and documented. With the elimination of the signs, not only are their authors insulted and the stalls are depersonalised, but we are also deprived of the right to a diverse market that is inclusive and representative of the popular sector of Mexican society. The dissertation traces the history and identity of this dying trade and examines the more recent challenges affecting rotulos production, the way they are being consumed and their future.

Image. Design is Popular too Photo and design by Alina Kiliwa.