The Women's Building and MaestraPeace Mural: An Epic Feminist Canvas

Why is it significant?

Look up in awe at the soaring, kaleidoscopic walls of The Women's Building, completely enveloped by the monumental MaestraPeace mural.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Look up in awe at the soaring, kaleidoscopic walls of The Women's Building, completely enveloped by the monumental MaestraPeace mural. Painted in 1994 by a collaborative team of seven multicultural women artists—Juana Alicia, Miranda Bergman, Edythe Boone, Susan Kelk Cervantes, Meera Censor, Yvonne Littleton, and Irene Perez—this breathtaking masterpiece covers two entire four-story exterior facades. The mural stands as a triumphant visual testament to the courage, creativity, and spiritual power of women across indigenous traditions, social justice movements, and global history.

Let your eyes travel along the 18th Street facade to the majestic central figure of Coyolxauhqui, the Aztec moon goddess, and Rigoberta Menchú Tum, the Guatemalan indigenous rights activist and Nobel Peace Laureate. Luminous hands cradle swirling waters, while figures of poet Audre Lorde, Georgia O'Keeffe, and civil rights heroes emerge alongside traditional textile weavers, healers, and agricultural workers. The colors glow with radiant vitality, reflecting community resilience in the heart of the Mission.

The Women's Building itself was founded in 1971 and purchased this former Sons of Hermann community hall in 1979, becoming the first woman-owned and woman-operated community center in the United States. It provides critical legal aid, wellness programs, and educational workshops to thousands of immigrant women and families every year. Generations of community members and curious visitors have gathered here, drawing inspiration from the bold creative energy and unwavering solidarity that transformed this district into a worldwide symbol. Generations of community members and curious visitors have gathered here, drawing inspiration from the bold creative energy and unwavering solidarity that transformed this district into a worldwide symbol.

Look closely at the window bays along Lapidge Street, where female calligraphers painted names of notable women in diverse world scripts, including Arabic, Hebrew, Cherokee, and Chinese. In 2012, the original artists reunited to carefully restore and seal every brushstroke.

Walk one block north along Valencia Street to Clarion Alley, entering through the painted gateway between 17th and 18th Streets.