Emanuel Martinez started a community mural movement in Denver in the early 1970s, bringing colorful life to the local Chicano Movement. His mural "La Alma" is a central part of the historic La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood where he painted it more than 45 years ago. But other murals Emanuel painted at the time have been wiped out. And now, someone very close to him is fighting for Chicano murals like his to be protected and preserved.

You can find the mural at the La Alma Recreation Center at 1325 W 11th Ave in Denver. To see photos of the mural, visit CPR.org/podcast/off-the-walls.

To learn more about the Chicano/a/x Murals of Colorado Project, visit chicanomuralsofcolorado.com.

We’ve collaborated with Apple Maps to create a guide to the murals and special places you’ve heard about on Off the Walls. It features a map of some of the coolest public art in Colorado, plus photos of the murals we talk about on the show. To check it out, go to apple.co/Off-The-Walls.

Hosts: Kibwe Cooper, Emily Williams

This show was produced with support from PRX, and is made possible in part by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and a grant from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation.

Off the Walls is a production of Denverite and Colorado Public Radio — part of the NPR Network.

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