Description

Photographs in this series were made, in association with geographer Juanita Sundberg, for a New Cultural Landscapes grant funded by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. These shrines are located along migrant trails. As migrants pass through the southern Arizona desert, they interact with and transform the landscape in small, yet significant ways through the shrines they create and the things they leave behind. At these shrines we find Virgin of Guadalupe bandanas, photographs, books, rosaries and prayer cards, coins, candles and more. The presence of Guadalupe here, a central figure in Latin American folk Catholicism, is a testament to the importance of faith for individuals willing to risk their lives to help support loved ones back home.

Sample Photos