Description

Erasto Cortés Juárez took up printmaking late in life and often used it to illustrate his own texts on Mexico’s cultural and political history. Such publications were popular in the decades following the revolution, as the country reconsidered its national identity. Included in a book about the country’s heroes, this print depicts guerrilla fighter Aureliano Rivera (1832–1903). Rivera attempted to stage a coup d’etat against Mexican president Benito Juárez (1806–1872), who he believed had been reelected unjustly. Cortés Juárez shows Rivera gazing forward boldly despite the violence taking place behind him, emphasizing his bravery and determination.