About MI SANGRE

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Mi Sangre started as the photo documentation of a personal journey to retrace my Mexican heritage. It became a fine art project aimed at highlighting Mexican culture on both sides of the US/Mexico border as I have come to understand it. This book targets various audiences. First, this is a book for Mexican-Americans that, like myself, want to continue to have a connection with their cultural roots. There is a compelling need for this book because there are few documents that portray popular images of the beauty

and dignity of the Mexican people through the migration experience. This book celebrates this experience and invites new perspectives at the national level. Second, this book is also for politically curious Americans who want to compare and contrast the contemporary negative images of Latinos/as with firsthand visual accounts. Finally, this is a book for fine art collectors who appreciate black and white images.

The series entitled Mi Sangre was born out of a desire to rediscover the link to my Mexican heritage. It documents everyday aspects of Mexican life, the culture and popular iconography, both as they exist in Mexico and as re-imagined by Mexican Americans in

the US. This photo essay highlights the cultural and religious imagery on both sides of the border and documents the diversity of expressions "de la mexicanidad" across various age groups. The images explore childhood memories of family trips to Mexico to visit relatives and friends. They also re-interpret some of the symbols associated with being Mexicano through images inspired by the music, the religious iconography and the cultural construction of mexicanidad. The subjects of this series include proud and elegant charros, beautiful and skilled escaramuzas, joyful and coy children, wise and innocent elders, vibrant and talented mariachi musicians, loving and welcoming families, and even fine art re-interpretations of Loteria iconography. 

With each of the subjects portrayed, I engaged in sometimes casual, sometimes insightful conversations. I wanted to know them so I could portray their character justly. The result is a collection that is both evocative of realities familiar to some, and yet unexpected to others.