Murales de Siqueiros y Guerrero, Mural ensemble in a school in Chillán, Chile

The murals of Escuela México in Chillán comprise works by two Mexican artists. In the library on the second level, David Alfaro Siqueiros painted Muerte al Invasor with oil, duco on the flags and pyroxylin on masonite boards covering the walls and ceiling. Xavier Guerrero painted murals in the spaces of the main entrance. On the piers between the windows facing the plaza are portraits of presidents Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Manuel Ávila Camacho.

The Escuela México was donated by the Mexican government after the 1939 Chillán earthquake destroyed several provinces; construction took two years and the school opened on 25 March 1942. Through Pablo Neruda's efforts, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Xavier Guerrero arrived in mid-1940 to paint Chile's and Mexico's history on its walls. The murals were declared a National Monument by Decree No. 331 of 20 May 2004.

The north wall depicts Mexico's history, from Cuauhtémoc shooting arrows at a cross to Benito Juárez with one iron fist and one gloved hand. The south wall shows Chile's story, with Galvarino emerging from a cannon mouth beside Francisco Bilbao, and Bernardo O'Higgins carrying the three Chilean flags. Portraits of presidents Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Manuel Ávila Camacho flank the plaza-facing wall.

The murals are inside Escuela México at Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 250, facing Plaza Héroes de Iquique. Siqueiros's work covers the library on the second level; Guerrero's murals are in the main entrance spaces. Visits were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, so check current access before planning.

The library mural Muerte al Invasor covers the walls and ceiling of a room on the second floor, painted on masonite panels fixed over the structure. In the piers between the windows facing the plaza hang portraits of presidents Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Manuel Ávila Camacho, the two heads of state when the murals were made.