América Tropical Interpretive Center

Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights

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Everyone from Hollywood stars to LA intellectuals attended the 1932 unveiling of América Tropical, a rooftop mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of Mexico’s great early 20th-century muralists. Depicting a crucified Native American in front of a Mayan pyramid, the artwork proved too provocative for some and it was subsequently whitewashed. Multimedia exhibits explore the artist, politics and artistry behind the mural, as well as its rehabilitation by the Getty Conservation Institute. Upstairs, a viewing platform grants a close-up view of the faded work.

The viewing platform is usually closed on rainy days.

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