El Batéy by Rafael Rivera García (Interpretation and Analysis)
Murals del Batéy Photo Credit: José Oliver-Didier One genre of art that I haven’t discussed much on this blog is the mural. Murals are particularly interesting because they are usually public art and, thus, say a lot about what their community understands the world and what they value. Today, I want to talk about the Batéy murals, located under an overpass in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I’ve seen these murals multiple times on various trips to Puerto Rico; however, I have to admit that I never considered their significance as art until I started writing this blog. According to my research , these murals were created by Neorican muralist Rafael Rivera García in 1979 in honor of the Pan American Games, which were held in San Juan that year. The murals depict the pre-Columbian people of Puerto Rico — the Tainos — playing a game called Batu, which involved keeping a rubber ball in the air without using hands or feet. The game was ceremonial in nature, carrying deep cultur...