lost. La Llorona Desperately Seeking Coyolxauhqui This piece is part of a 2003 series using similar titles and the same model. It depicts a close up of a young woman staring straight at the viewer and crying, alluding to La Llorona. Behind her is the silhouette of La Virgen with arms raised and her back to the young woman. People have suggested that La Virgen has turned her back on the young woman or is pleading for a female goddess or mourning a violated young women—alluding to La Llorona. Tattooed on the young woman's shoulder is the severed head of Coyolxauhqui and Coatlicue's fangs are stenciled over the young woman's face. Coyolxauhqui Returns Disguised as Our Lady of Guadalupe Defending the Rights of Las Chicanas The title of this piece refers to Ester Hernandez's 1976 sketch of a karate Lady of Guadalupe entitled La Virgen de Guadalupe Defending the Rights of the Xicanos. Lopez's choice to use Las Chicanas instead of Hernandez's Los Xicanos conveys her focus on Mexican women. The subject of the painting is a middle-age, pregnant, indigenous women holding up one hand and a sword in her other hand. A halo on her head represents both La Virgen and Coyolxauhqui. Her hand held up suggests she is trying to stop an injustice. The sword pointing downward suggests she prefers peaceful discussion over violence, but like Coyolxauhqui and La Llorona, she will use violence to protect women. La Briosa y la Medusa La Briosa y la Medusa was inspired by Lucha Libre, which Lopez had grown up watching. This piece focuses on female luchadores, specifically La Medusa and La Briosa, who Lopez had found in her research on luchadoras. Lopez saw the story of Alicia Alvarado, La Medusa, who herself had been inspired by a tag team match of luchadoras to become a wrestler herself. Lopez saw these women in a male dominated sport like lucha libre and wanted to display the lesser known presence of women. Something which she herself believed that young people should see and that is the inclusion of women throughout male dominated history and events. UCLA mural In 2014 she and her students from her "Queer Art In LA" class at UCLA painted a mural in the LGBTQ studies offices. The mural shows the queer community and their allies protesting the police raids of the Black Cat Tavern. Awards and honors 2018 Faculty