OUR LADY DE GUADALUPE
IN LOS ANGELES
I drove around searching for her, knowing she was visible in the busy streets and unassuming corners of Los Angeles. Our Lady of Guadalupe, a symbol imported from Mexican culture, has a job in this city: to protect homes and businesses and to serve as a good omen. In exchange, she must be displayed in all her glory, with magnificent colors, and the story of her origin must be shown to all passersby. With flowers and visits to these public murals, we let her know not only that we remember her, but also that we remember who we are in this land.
My inspiration for this project was my own sense of foreignness, even in such a rich Hispanic region of the United States. Never devoutly religious, and not belonging to the neighborhoods that host her, I instinctively chased after the icon that lives in every Mexican’s consciousness. I found the image of the ultimate Mother of my culture to be alive and powerful. By driving through unknown streets and photographing her, I became close and intimate with the city I now call home, discovering a new feeling of belonging.
