Tour Info | Sobre El Tour — Pilsen Public Art Tours, Walking Tours

The Pilsen Mural Tour is a 60-minute walk through some of the neighborhoods’ most iconic pieces of public art. We will travel through 50 years of murals that colorfully express the history, struggles, and culture of the Mexican community in Pilsen. We’ll discuss the political and socio-economic role of murals in this resilient community which is currently facing tough challenges in the city’s changing landscape. With over 20 years of experience, veteran mural guide and Pilsen resident, Luis Tubens will share the stories of how Pilsen became the neighborhood with the highest concentration of murals in the Midwest. Lace up your walking shoes because you are about to travel into a vibrant gallery of walls covered in culture.

St Joseph School from aurora,IL visits Cooper elementary's Mosaic Murals

West of Ashland Route

This is our most popular route. All the murals we visit are west of Ashland Ave. (1600 west) between 18th street and 21st street. We usually start and end at the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th street). The majority of murals along this route depict the struggles and stories of the neighborhood. This route is ideal for school groups.

East of Ashland Route

Most of the murals on this route are along the main business strip of Pilsen, 18th street between Ashland (1600 west) and Racine (1200 west). We start at the Pilsen Arts and Community House (1637 W. 18th street) and walk east. Here we have a mixture of younger murals and recently restored murals. Since we are walking along tight sidewalks and busy traffic this route is better for groups of 10 people or less.

16th Street Murals

This is route is along the northern border of Pilsen on 16th street which is the Burlington North Railway. We start at 16th street and Wolcott street (1900 west). Here we see the greatest diversity of murals in Pilsen. Everything from graffiti art, pop art, character art, and traditional styles are found here.

Virtual Tours

The best way to experience the murals is up close in person but if that is not an option, then a virtual tour is the next best thing. Through the “Zoom” platform, we present and discuss photographs of the murals. The advantage of the virtual tours is we get to see more murals and, the murals on the edges of Pilsen, because we cut out the walking. This tour is perfect for online classes, groups that cannot come to Pilsen, and groups who prefer the comfort of their home during the winter months.

We also offer bike and running routes upon request.