In San Miguel de Allende, buildings get spray painted with gang tags—and engagement announcements. Porfirio Y Yulupa. In Barcelona, graffiti is an expression of visual art. Here in Buenos Aires, the walls are a political forum.

A statue (Is it Don Quixote?) bears a number of messages. Basta de Patotas K is a common one this week. Reactionary elements recently used gangs of thugs (patotas) to beat up and otherwise intimidate leftists. K refers to President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, calling on her to stop the gangs.

Socialist sympathy is strong because of a large impoverished and disenfranchised underclass. Below we have a message to norteamericanos and europeos: "Your profits are our illnesses. Stop contamination by capitalism."

Stenciled graffiti seem to be appearing more frequently. Is this happening up north? The message below left calls for unity against repression and support for jobs and higher salaries. Porteños know that it is referring to recent attacks by patotas on teacher groups.

On the right, the cheer for the Popular Rebellion (of Argentina) refers to the uprisings in December 2001 in reaction to the collapse of the peso—the economic crisis that plunged so many into poverty. The protesters have formed organizations that are active today.

Angry people look even to anarchy for a way out. The A in a circle is the symbol of an anarchists' organization. (Link in Spanish.) If messages like "Against All Authority," signed by the "Anarchist NarcoPunks" were to spring up in Peoria, we'd have a large, frightened segment of northerners calling for crackdowns. An ambitious selectman could make his career on something like this.

I'm charmed by the message promoting anarchy and vegetarianism. Gives an entirely different impression from the Serejevan bomb-throwers of 1914.

Issues around sexuality get a lot of play. The stencil on the left reads "I am a hooker and I'm happy." She must have been listening to Colonel Saito: "Be happy in your work." Someone has circled the stencil in freehand red and added "me too."

The stencil on the right reminds us that lesbians are our mothers, daughters and sisters. As enlightened as I like to think I am, that thought had not occurred to me. Bless whoever painted it (even though I generally hate graffiti).

Then we have "Stop Homophobia." I never saw this kind of activism, even in San Francisco's Castro.

Some messages don't seem to have social or political themes. Is Pampa someone's pet? What is CHIC@ all about?

But for my money, the best of the lot is a seated Buddha above the words "breathe consciously". A reminder to us all.