Vulnerability as strength: San Antonio artist Mauro de la Tierra challenges patriarchal norms

San Antonio artist Mauro de la Tierra was 17 years old when he was arrested for trespassing and painting graffiti art. It was the beginning of his troubled behavior and alcoholism that led him to a years-long battle with recovery. This year, the City of McAllen invited the now sober 28-year-old to paint graffiti as part of a public art project. De la Tierra grew up on the East Side of San Antonio. He was always interested in art but never thought it was something he could pursue full time. “I think because of the class that I came from, I didn’t necessarily feel like this is something I could do,” he said. His mother, Ale Tierra, immigrated to the U.S. in 1995. Just a few weeks later, de la Tierra was born. Ale is a former Jehovah’s Witness who became involved with punk rock and social justice causes. As a child, de la Tierra and his siblings would attend protests with their mom. “So we kind of were a part of this community that taught us to question the establishment,” he explained. ‘Be a better person’ As a child, Ale allowed de la Tierra to create murals on the...