LAUNCH Gallery and The National Tourism Board of Xicanoland proudly present new drawings by celebrated Mexican-American artist Abel Alejandre. In this new series, The Age of Heroes, Abel honors twelve pivotal figures whose brilliance forged modern Xicanoland. Themes of masculinity, valor, patriarchy, and the capacity to look to the future with purpose and assurance are addressed through twelve ink portraits on paper, each capturing a statesperson, scientist, or cultural luminary whose vision reshaped Xicanoland. Inseparable from Xicanoland’s belief in cyclical life, every human portrait in The Age of Heroes is accompanied by a painting of a Xoloitzcuintle—the sacred dog that, by tradition, escorts the soul into the next realm. These twelve canine guardians transform the gallery into a spiritual corridor, guiding visitors through a meditation on legacy, mortality, and endurance. Image: President Meztli “La Primera”, a ground-breaking champion of universal suffrage.