1645 W. 18th Place, Chicago, IL 60608

Cooper Dual Language Academy’s 18th Place facade is decorated with vibrant mosaics depicting famous people of Mexican descent, as well as Aztec (Mexica) iconography and symbols. Among those depicted in the school’s mosaics are: 

• Nezahualcoyotl, ruler of Texcoco, a city just northeast of Tenochtitlan that was part of the Aztec Triple Alliance,
• Coatlicue, Aztec Earth goddess,
• Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor,
• Carlos Tortolero, the founder and president of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

The mosaics also include the Aztec Sun Stone and Coyolxāuhqui Stone set in brilliant venetian glass tiles. The mosaics, covering 2,100 square feet, were hand-set in 1991 under the direction of artist Francisco Mendoza (1958-2012), who is also responsible for the murals at the 18th Street Pink Line Station.

Additional Information

• Cooper Dual Language Academy Murals (Formerly Orozco Community School), Chicago Public Art blogspot, August 2013
• Mosaics put Pilsen school on art map, Chicago Tribune, October 2001
• 18th Street Pink Line Station, Chicagotlan
• 18th Street Sun Stones, Chicagotlan
• Cuauhtémoc Statue (Benito Juarez Community Academy), Chicagotlan
• National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicagotlan