Face to face with Pena!
The most important location for me. I have researched the town and the importance of this mountain. Only 2 to 3 hours away from the town in SLP where my great grandfather is from. I was so close to but not close enough. Unfortunately, I did not get to talk with anyone in Bernal. I was unable to see the family chapels passed down in some families. Despite that, I am one step closer to connecting with my grandmother’s family.
I am still doing ongoing research on identity politics in Mexico. I need to visit more to understand the environment better. It would also help if I knew more Spanish. One thing that I could see as clear as day was the classism and the mindset attached to that. I want to be conscious and respectful of spaces here and spaces back home in Texas. Expanding my mindset helps me understand the thread that connects us.
I did receive encouragement from an Otomi Professor of Engineering in another town. He said to keep doing what I am doing and learning about my family from SLP. All the images taken in the jumpsuit connect to the ongoing curanderismo walking meditations.
I am an invisible body,
no one knows me,
and I enjoy that.
I can float from space to space
as a nameless face.
I am secure in myself,
even after it was beaten out of me in Texas.
Now is my time to explore, and build myself up even more.