CARACAS, Venezuela — Apropos of nothing, I wanted to collect some of the more interesting shots of political graffiti I’ve captured this week in Caracas.

Most of the graffiti, of course, promotes the late president Hugo Chávez and his successor, acting president Nicolás Maduro, and not opposition challenger Henrique Capriles.

I’ll say one thing, though, and this goes well beyond street art: if any of my friends want to run for politics, I’ll send them to Caracas to talk to the chavistas because, while Capriles has a rapidly deteriorating economy, an aggressive campaign, and a defensive and lackluster Maduro all working in his favor, Maduro remains the favorite because the chavistas certainly know how to win votes.

Of course, standard political campaign banners abound throughout the city:

But even five weeks after his death, Chávez’s presence dominates the city, even on its sidewalks and on its buildings:

In fact, even the ‘libertador’ himself, Simón Bolívar has more street cred than Maduro:

Here’s a commemoration of the 2011 bicentennial of the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence:

But that’s not to say that Maduro isn’t a common enough presence (both in favor and against):

Continue reading Photo essay: Political graffiti and street art in Caracas →