In Pilsen, Manuel ‘MATR’ Macias says his new mural of an Aztec warrior is meant to evoke struggle

Manuel Macias, who goes by MATR, painted this mural of an Aztec warrior in Pilsen in May. (Provided)

The Aztecs once commanded a sprawling empire in what’s now Mexico — until a brutal conquest by Hernán Cortés led to Spanish domination.

Manuel Macias honored that Aztec history by painting a mural on an outside wall of a restaurant at 1451 W. 18th St. in Pilsen that he based on a 2017 photo by Gustavo “Gus” Mejia of a man dressed as an Aztec warrior.