Chimborazo Is Here
- Title
- Chimborazo Is Here
- Creator
- Pablo Kalaka is a painter, illustrator, and muralist who was born in Chile. However, at a very young age, Kalaka’s family was exiled from Chile due to the Pinochet military dictatorship. They fled to Venezuela, where Kalaka grew up and earned a degree in Literature from Central University of Venezuela. From 2002-2004, he studied illustration and graphic art at the Escola de Comics Joso in Barcelona, Spain. According to Kalaka’s website, his artistic styles and works are shaped from his experiences in Chile as a child and in Barcelona’s urban art movement during his time studying overseas. His work can be seen in many countries in South America, U.S. cities like New York City and Minneapolis, and in multiple cities in Germany, France, and Spain. Kalaka also has four books published that include his illustrations.
- Date
- Date of creation: November 2024
Date of documentation: November 7 2025 - Description
- In Pablo Kalaka’s "Chimborazo is Here," Kalaka’s vibrant style is evident with his use of bright and highly contrasting colors. The wall itself that the mural was painted on has differing depths, with the front wall of Aspro Auto Sales protruding out from the larger wall of Amaana Adult Daycare Center. As an observer taking in the large mural as a whole, the eye first travels to the piece of “canvas” closest to the observer, which is the awning protruding out from the auto sales office, which Kalaka painted a shingle-like effect with various pinks and reds of various sizes and depths. Below the awning, on the wall of the auto sales office, Kalaka uses the natural set up of the business to set his scene. He paints vibrant green and blue shutters around the existing windows, and paints his own window scene, where he paints a man and a woman appearing inside the building, accommodating the request of a young patron on the outside of the window. On the left side of the mural, Kalaka creates depth with his placement of Mount Chimborazo in the background and an Andean Condor in the foreground. Preceding the mountain, Kalaka lays several wavy, horizontal lines. These lines are filled in with light blue in the foreground and fade into a darker blue close to the mountain, giving the visual of moving waters. Billowing clouds rise up around the snowcapped mountain. The bird and the surrounding vegetation flow into the upper portion of the wall and a continuation of the foreground. The lush vegetation and wildlife settles in behind the illusion of a local business with a beautiful Chimborazo view. Kalaka gives the illusion of the lush vegetation from overlapping and stacked leaves and flowers. Colors pop in this section with bright and contrasting greens and blues of leaves versus oranges and reds of flowers and a cardinal. Kalaka places two other people on the mural as well. On the far right side of the mural, he painted a woman cloaked in magenta, wearing a hijab with detailed natural creases and shadows. Around her, the illusion of wind is given by Kalaka, with garments and fabrics given a billowing effect, as they appear to be blowing in the wind while being hung out to dry. On the side wall of the protruding auto sales business, not visible when viewing the mural from “head on”, Kalaka paints a man walking next to the blue trimmed front door of the business. Like the woman’s hijab on the opposite side, the man’s clothing is given impressive detail and depth with the use of wrinkles and shadows. The man appears old, with a visibly wrinkled face and cane in his right hand.
- Subject
- Kalaka placed this mural along a vibrant stretch of Lake Street in Minneapolis. Surrounding the businesses the mural calls home, there are several Spanish speaking businesses and food trucks. Just north of the mural, residential homes line the street. The best view and photography of the mural itself comes from the parking lot of Aspro Auto Sales. The dealer appears to keep the parking lot busy with used cars for sale, and many people walk the adjacent sidewalks with the mural in view. Kalaka does a fantastic job of using preexisting business to set the scene of the mural. It brings life and an inviting feel to the business’s exterior, with the use of the man and woman painted in the “window” as a personable touch. The mural’s visibility on a street corner makes it an integration of the neighborhood and part of everyday life. In one mural, Kalaka showcases the natural beauty, wildlife, architecture, and down-to-earth people of this region. In the mural, Kalaka labels the mountain as Chimborazo. Without this label, the mural lacks a specific setting. With this tag, viewers are placed near Ecuador’s highest peak, the mountain and volcano called Chimborazo. Chimborazo is an ancestral staple and source of cultural pride and endurance for Ecuadorians. It is known as the closest point on earth to the sun. The mural also features an Andean Condor, one of the largest flying birds in the world. Among the people who inhabit the Andes Mountain Range, the Andean Condor is a symbol of liberty, strength, and endurance. Kalaka uses this setting as a whole to paint a picture of his South American upbringing. The mural gives a positive sense of identity and cultural recognition to Hispanic people who may now call Minnesota home. It gives people belonging and visibility in the cultural corridor of Lake Street. The title Chimborazo is Here, speaks to that. Even thousands of miles away, it is a piece of home and a culture that lives on.
- Rights
- Artist: Pablo Kalaka
Researcher: Kyle Bauer - Source
- America Culture. “Chimborazo Culture, in Depth Analysis of Chimborazo Culture.” America Culture, americaculture.github.io/ecuador-culture/chimborazo-culture/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
“The Andean Condor: Emblem of Heritage and the Quest for Preservation.” ConnollyCove, 17 Apr. 2024, www.connollycove.com/the-andean-condor-symbolism/.
“Bio.” Kalaka, elkalaka.com/bio/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
The Majestic Chimborazo: Ecuador’s Highest Peak, www.mexicohistorico.com/paginas/the-majestic-chimborazo-ecuador-s-highest-peak-167f56c6.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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Citation
Pablo Kalaka is a painter, illustrator, and muralist who was born in Chile. However, at a very young age, Kalaka’s family was exiled from Chile due to the Pinochet military dictatorship. They fled to Venezuela, where Kalaka grew up and earned a degree in Literature from Central University of Venezuela. From 2002-2004, he studied illustration and graphic art at the Escola de Comics Joso in Barcelona, Spain. According to Kalaka’s website, his artistic styles and works are shaped from his experiences in Chile as a child and in Barcelona’s urban art movement during his time studying overseas. His work can be seen in many countries in South America, U.S. cities like New York City and Minneapolis, and in multiple cities in Germany, France, and Spain. Kalaka also has four books published that include his illustrations., “Chimborazo Is Here,” Museum in the streets: Murals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, accessed March 10, 2026, https://mspmurals.omeka.net/items/show/150.