Mariposa Mural: The story of town retold in the form of art

If you take the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite, you might see this mural in Mariposa, a town just outside the National Park. And this mural in Downtown Mariposa has so much to say about the town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California.

Mariposa, CA

Mariposa wears the look of another age. With its small shops and buildings with no more than two floors, not to mention the architecture that dates back to the previous century, Mariposa has an old-world charm to it.

Look at the Mariposa mural and you will see that it reflects the town’s past and present and what it’s all about. There’s an American flag, there’s the bear flag symbolizing California, there’s some Yosemite, and a Monarch Butterly, among other things.

Look to left hand corner of the mural and you will see a gentleman panning for gold. That is a reminder of the California Gold Rush. And Mariposa is one of those old towns that dates back to that era.

Then, there’s Yosemite’s Giant Granites and the Yosemite Falls — big attractions in the town’s backyard. The mural also hints at its Native American history.

The white building in the mural is the County Courthouse. Mariposa is the county seat of Mariposa- the county, and that white building you see is said to be one of the oldest courthouses in the state. The History books call it the oldest continuously working courthouse west of the Rockies.

And the brightest subject in the mural, the butterfly, stands for the name of the city. Mariposa in Spanish means butterfly. I read that this place is known for the Monarch Butterflies that were often seen here.

Mariposa also seems to have an annual Butterfly Festival in May.

The Mariposa mural

Mariposa Mural Since 2008.

Linking to Monday Mural 

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• Murals featured on Tipsy from the TRIP

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