David Alfara Siqueiros (1896-1974), born in Chihuahua, Mexico, joined Jose Orozco and Diego Rivera as the 20th Century's most influential muralists. They revolutionized mural content and style by portraying Mexico's rich history and contemporary economic problems in visually bold political terms. Influenced by Marxism in his treatment of the class struggle, Siqueiros believed public murals were a powerful and effective medium to make hi work accessible to a broad audience traditionally ignored by elitist art institutions.

After becoming Secretary of the Communist Party in 1928 he was frequently jailed or expelled from Mexico and nearly gave up painting. It was during one of these expulsions that he came to Los Angeles. His most productive artistic period began in 1944, when he returned to Mexico after an exile due to allegations of his role in Leon Trotsky's assassination. This fertile period culminated in 1966 with his dramatic murals at Chalpultapec Castle depicting the overthrow of the Porfirio Diaz regime.