Graffiti Wars on the Walls

A few days before May Day, this group painted a portrait of Pres. Santos on Carrera Septima and Calle 19, showing a mafia-like president firing 'peace' out of a old-time machine gun.

Perhaps because of the upcoming elections, recently lots of Bogotá's freewheeling street art has been vandalized, defaced, even erased.

'Will the mafia continue?' The mural's message is a bit confused. Santos has championed peace negotiations with the FARC guerrillas, a policy generally supported by the political left. 

The mural didn't last long. On May 2, it looked like this.

The Plaza del Che in the Universidad Nacional normally features this portrait of guerrilla-priest Camilo Torres carrying a rifle on the side of the university library. Torres, who was the university's Catholic chaplain, joined the ELN guerrillas and died  in 1966 in his first battle.

But, over Easter Break it disappeared. It'll likely be back soon.

This mural memorializing the far-left Union Patriotica political party was painted on a Universidad Nacional wall a few months ago. Thousands of leaders of the UP, which was somehow linked to the FARC guerrillas, were murdered by right-wing groups in what is commonly called the 'genocide of the Union Patriotica.'

A few days ago, this happened to the UP mural. 

This huge Union Patriotica tribute mural on Calle 26 near the Central Cemetery was defaced several weeks ago by Neo Nazis. 

Almost immediately afterwards, UP supporters painted over the vandals' work. 'In the face of intolerance, 'Hope is reborn.'' 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours, which offers graffiti bike tours.