hoodoogardens: Photography by Mara Sanchez Renero From the series “The Cimmarón and t
Photography by Mara Sanchez Renero
From the series “The Cimmarón and the Fandango.” “The title refers to the escaped slaves and a dance –the series is Ms. Sanchez Renero’s interpretation of her conversations and encounters with the Afro-Mexicans in various communities in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico.”-David Gonzales of the New York Times
“As you go on the roads you see women doing something we had identified with Africa, and I wanted to make that link. The woman surrounded by fire, the symbolism, it has elements of spirituality. I also blindfolded her eyes, because women are the great carriers of culture and educate their children. But there is also a lack of interest in maintaining it.” -Renero
Afro-Mexicans date back to the colonial era when the Spanish brought over enslaved workers from Portugal, a trade that continued until the mid-18th century. A step toward lifting that invisibility came in 2015 when the government recognized Afro-Mexican as a census category, estimating that a little under 1.4 million people identified themselves as such.
