The Mexican Muralists have been taken as virtually the sole artistic advocates of the Mexican Revolution, often to the neglect of the rich cultural dynamic of which they were an integral part. But in fact, the struggle to articulate a revolutionary cultural identity in a society so heavily defined by its colonialist history produced (and continues to do so) a widely varied set of responses to the issue of Mexicanidad. The work and life of María Izquierdo provide us with one such response. Izquierdo began her career under the patronage of Diego Rivera, but soon allied herself with an avant-garde group in opposition to the Muralists, the "Contemporáneos," who challenged the latter on a number of levels. They proffered the work of Izquierdo in opposition to the Muralists as a representative of cultural nationalism 'beyond' politics and closer to the 'purity' of indigenous culture. The "Contemporáneos'" criticism of the Muralists also held a critique of the use of male dominance and power as a structural framework for defining national identity. Izquierdo's paintings offer insight into how the painter's status as female proved crucial, as it intertwined with discourses on class and race, to the construction of a nationalist discourse meant to undermine the Muralists' public image as socialist champions of Mexican workers and peasants.