Saturday, March 01, 2014

Palm Springs White History Mural



There are a pair of interesting bas relief murals at a Union Bank branch on the corner of Indian Canyon and Ramon in downtown Palm Springs.



Inside the branch, the employees were clueless about the history of the mural...



...which is probably just as well, since the white racial supremacy motif is now a little embarrassing.



The murals probably date from the 1950s when Home Savings and Loan branches were decorating their exteriors with elaborate mosaics and murals reflecting local history, such as the incorporation of Palm Springs as a white man's city 75 years ago.



There is a nod in one panel towards the region's Native American inhabitants who have been on this land for thousands of years...



...who thanks to contemporary casinos and 19th century land grants are taking back more power from the gringos with each passing day.

1 comment:

Hattie said...

Priceless.