Seeded in the Past. Rooted in the Future. 

This work stems from my Indigenous roots as Yaqui, Mexica, and Chicana. Born in Pico Rivera and raised in Sacramento. I traveled several times through the Yucatán region of Mexico with just my backpack and camera. During one of these trips, I met Muluk and Chuen, founders of Nacel Arcoíris, an organization dedicated to environmental sustainability through Mayan practices. The Mayan stories I heard in my travels reminded me of those I had heard from my Nino on the Hopi rez, stories beyond borders and reveal our connections as one people, Indigenous to this continent. 

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These experiences culminated in my role as an art ambassador for the Del Rio Trail Project, inspiring this exhibition. The individuals I photographed—Houa, Brigitte, Lorena, Sarah, Danny, and Jay—are Indigenous to different continents, including Hmong, Colombian, Palestinian, Maidu, and Indian. They carry forward ancestral traditions that ask us to honor the earth, both essential practices of resistance.

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Built upon sacred maize and the Ya’axche Tree of Life. Braided rope symbolizes the past, present, and future, interwoven like our interconnectedness forming a single cord, like the spine that keeps us upright and rooted to the earth. The red thread binds the photographs, much like a wall of family photos, pulsing like our arteries and nervous system, carrying the life force that connects us. 

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We are all descendants of people who resisted erasure and fought to preserve their traditions. This work continues as an ongoing project. I invite you to join me on this journey to preserve our shared history and build intercultural connections for a more peaceful world.

What greater act of resistance than for the global majority to forge friendships, to see ourselves in one another? Sacramento has the potential to stand at the forefront of intercultural connection. I ask that we use our gifts, our positions, and our efforts to build a more peaceful world—one that demands emotional intelligence and prioritizes peaceful solutions.

 Support the preservation of ancestral practices, and foster intercultural dialogue and unite our communities. 

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This is an ongoing project that I intend to expand to more cultures. If you would like to support me in continuing this work and turning it into a book for Sacramento, I invite you to join me on this journey. 

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