Denver mural, once nearly destroyed, is now nearly restored

David Ocelotl Garcia is still in awe of what is happening on West 8th Avenue in Denver.

"I'm trying to make things make sense that doesn't make sense," he said. "There's something going on here. That's what I'm trying to say. There's something going on here."

Primarily why his mural was painted over in 2020. When he found out, he could only think one thing.

"Man, that's a bummer," he recalls saying.

Now he has been tasked with unmasking the mural called Huitzilopochtli and bringing it back to life.

"It was very much like an archaeological thing you know? It's like restoring something ancient or something," Garcia said.

It's part of the Chicano Murals of Colorado Project, a program that aims to restore and preserve Chicano and Mexicano art around Denver. David says while he is honored he was given the trust of the community, it was stressful.

"That was some of the biggest pressure I've ever felt," he said.

He recalls thinking, "What am I going to do if this doesn't work? I'm going to get banished from the planet or something you know?"

He had to remove the white primer that the building's new owners put over the mural without damaging it.

"I knew if i could do that, I could touch it up," said Garcia.

After a couple of tries, he succeeded.

"The paint was just washing away. Literally off the wall and you could see the mural and it was like, 'whoaaaa'," said Garcia.

Now he is very close to finishing the restoration, and he says after all the time spent with the mural he is starting to figure out why it was almost destroyed.

"I see it as a sacrifice and once saw it that way, I started seeing that it made sense," said Garcia.

Because it has not only given the neighborhood a new/ old look, but it raised awareness about public art preservation. And it solidified him, a kid from Park Hill, as a Sun Valley neighborhood artist.

"It was meant to be I guess because I'm still here. Maybe the mural is like now you are part of this place. You know?" said Garcia.

If you want to see the mural for yourself, it is in the Sun Valley neighborhood at 2895 West 8th Avenue.