Touchstone
(2023-ongoing)
Touchstone examines my family's history in the difficult mountain landscape of Santa María del Oro, my grandma's hometown.
The town is in Southeastern Jalisco, Mexico, cradled by the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. According to my family, all of the precious metals were taken from the land during Spanish conquest in the 1500s, but the town still proudly retains “gold” in its name. Although the coat of arms standing at Santa María del Oro’s entrance was torn down in 2018, Spanish cultural influence remains intertwined with the character of the town. These photographs explore old stories, the town’s Catholic devotion, the day to-day work of the townspeople, and the unusual Mexican landscape.