Behind the yellow, blue, and red tricolor flag, a series of murals of various themes and sizes are lined up. Titled “Homeland (La Patria),” these murals were created by the artist Oswaldo Guayasamín and are displayed in the plenary chamber of Ecuador’s National Assembly.

The murals, composed of 23 panels in total, symbolically depict the history of the struggle for independence, justice, and freedom; the many different people who took part in it; and the pressures exerted by those in power and by foreign countries. Guayasamín was an advocate of peace and social justice, known as an artist who vividly portrayed the suffering caused by poverty, oppression, inequality, and political violence faced by the people of Latin America.

Learn more about Ecuador → “Where is Ecuador’s economy headed?”

Learn more about Latin American countries → “Challenges facing politics and society in Latin America”

(Photo: Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador / Flickr [CC BY-SA 4.0])