Round IV is the final installment of Lovers & Fighters, bringing the longstanding exhibition at the San Antonio Museum of Art to a powerful conclusion. All four rounds of Lovers & Fighters have featured artworks that explore power dynamics in Latino culture through history, food, family, love, struggle, and pride. Most of the artworks on display in the different rounds of the exhibition are screenprints.
Given the exhibit’s abundance of themes and symbols, there are multiple ways to approach its interpretation. Here, I focus on artworks that explore migration — an especially pressing topic in January 2024. The Trump administration has initiated mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, specifically targeting major Texas cities, including San Antonio. This urgency is reflected in works like Estrella of the Dawn, which draws on rich symbolism to capture the struggle, resilience, and displacement tied to migration.

Yreina D. Cervántez and Leo Limón, “Estrella of the Dawn,” 1988, screenprint, image: 15 7/8 × 21 7/8 inches; Sheet: 21 7/8 × 30 inches, San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Wight Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, 91.62.7. © Yreina D. Cervántez and Leo Limón
At the top of Estrella of the Dawn, a Quetzal bird swoops down on a snake. The serpent also functions as the tail of a jaguar that sits beside prickly pear cacti at the bottom of the print. This imagery symbolizes a duality of good and evil, with the Quetzal representing the forces of good, while the jaguar and serpent suggest darker, more primal elements.
At the center of the composition, a woman stands, surrounded by barbed wire being pulled taut by two hands on either side of her. Also surrounding the woman are silhouettes of faces. The way these silhouettes frame her body recalls the Virgin of Guadalupe. Chicano artists have long explored the Virgin Mary as a figure of paradox. Yreina D. Cervántez and Leo Limón depict the Virgin as a border crosser. It is no mistake, as some people might consider the Virgin Mary herself to have been an immigrant to Egypt; she fled Bethlehem due to King Herod’s order to kill baby boys in Bethlehem.

Carlos Francisco Jackson, “Departure: Braceros Departing Mexico City for California, 1943,” 2009, screenprint, image: 23 3/4 × 37 7/8 inches; Sheet: 29 3/4 × 43 7/8 inches, San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Ricardo and Harriett Romo, 2015.7.35. © Carlos Francisco Jackson
Migration has shaped the Latino experience in America for generations. In Departure: Braceros Departing Mexico City for California, 1943, Carlos Francisco Jackson depicts a historical event. To combat a worker shortage during World War II, the United States government sponsored the Bracero Program, which allowed over four million Mexican men to work short-term in the United States, especially in the agricultural and railroad industries. Jackson conveys a moment of departure as a bracero reaches down from the train to his loved ones, including a child. Other braceros on the train look on as he says goodbye. Jackson’s print not only reflects the sacrifice of the bracero but also underscores the collective experience of communities whose labor, though historically undervalued, has been indispensable to the infrastructure of U.S. labor industries.
The final print in my discussion is decidedly macabre. La Muerte (Skeleton Devouring) depicts an animalistic figure consuming another. While the print’s avatars may seem playful, it tackles a serious subject. The cat being devoured serves as a metaphor for the Mexican immigrant, and the red, circular forms protruding outward from both figures symbolize blood. Based in San Antonio, Michael Menchaca draws on the stylistic choices of Mesoamerican Codices, which document indigenous Mexican history and culture. Flat planes of color and bold, outlined symbols and figures are central to these ancient works. Menchaca effectively creates their own Codex page, documenting the poor treatment of immigrants in the 21st-century United States.

Michael Menchaca, “La Muerte (Skeleton Devouring),” 2012, screenprint, 25 × 19 inches, San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Ricardo and Harriett Romo, 2013.15.36. © Michael Menchaca
Round IV of Lovers & Fighters leaves an impression on the viewer amid the current political climate in our nation. Through works like Estrella of the Dawn, Departure: Braceros Departing Mexico City for California, 1943, and La Muerte (Skeleton Devouring), the artists explore themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the ongoing struggles of immigrants. These prints combine rich symbolism and historical references, using Mesoamerican influences and bold imagery to reflect the complex and often painful experiences of migration in Latino culture. Ending my review on the notion of struggle alone, in my opinion, would miss the true purpose of these artists’ work. Despite hardship, Latino communities continue to embrace one another and fight for a better future.
Round IV of Lovers & Fighters is on display at the Golden Gallery at the San Antonio Museum of Art until April 20, 2025.
1 comment
Thank you for your insightful observations, Christopher Karr!