Mario de León: Stories without Words
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When you meet Mario De León, he’s usually on a ladder with paint on his hands and a picture already forming in his mind. He grew up in East Multnomah County and spends a lot of time in Rockwood, where he once ran around as a kid and now works as an artist, filling neighborhood storefronts and gathering places with color, memory, and pride.
“I do this because I love it … I love painting Mexican and Chicano stories. We’re telling a story without words.”
Mario’s connection to EPHC began during a moment of need. When his family was suddenly forced to relocate, the costs piled up quickly. Through our Emergency Rent Assistance program, we were able to step in and help cover essential expenses, giving Mario the stability and breathing room to focus on his children and rebuild.
“It gave me time to get my household together. Enroll my kids in a new school, change our address and get stable so we could come back.”
Back in East County, Mario returned to work with a steadier footing. He learned to draw from his older brother – who learned from a cousin – one generation to the next. Art, for Mario, is how you hold on: to the elders who raised you, the fields your family worked, the roots that anchor a neighborhood. He keeps words off his walls on purpose.
“Our ancestors told stories with images, the Aztecs, the Maya. Europe’s great paintings don’t have captions either. The picture is the story. That’s pride. That’s culture.”
Painting Memory at Dos Hermanos Cafe
Today, Mario is transforming the walls of Dos Hermanos Coffee Shop, a family-run gathering place where neighbors come together over cafecito, pan dulce, and conversation. The mural he’s creating is not just decoration for a café, but also a living story of culture and community.
The piece carries ancient and modern imagery side by side: Quetzalcóatl, the sun’s face, flowers and textiles, Yucatán motifs, and across it all the quiet reverence of family. Woven into the design are scenes from everyday life: apple orchards and cabbage rows, hands reaching to pick fruit, blackberries and raspberries hanging heavy – echoes of the agricultural work that shaped so many immigrant families in Oregon.
It isn’t commercial Mexican art built for a brand. It’s a public reminder of where people come from and who they honor.
Carrying the Work Forward
Like many working artists and small business owners, Mario is often juggling calls on a ladder, invoices between coats of paint, and youth projects while lining up the next wall. He keeps going because he believes these images do more than brighten a block. They keep memory alive and leave the next generation a map of who we are.
At EPHC, we’re proud that our work helps artists like Mario not only stabilize during hard times but also continue to grow and give back. Our partnership with him doesn’t stop at murals – stay tuned as we plan to offer painting classes with Mario that will benefit our community services. Thank you, Mario, for believing in our mission and investing back into it, so that together we can keep helping more people return to doing what they love.
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