Update from Guadalajara

Greetings from Guadalajara, Mexico! I’ve just completed my third day on assignment and besides being tired, hungry, and mentally drained, I’m going to bed content that my week with Truth With A Camera has far exceeded my expectations.

My assignment began as a story about children who work on the streets of Guadalajara and the NGO that provides services to these children. When I began meeting the families of these children, hearing their stories and learning about their lives, my story evolved into an intimate portrait of the resilient women of one family who, without the presence of active husbands, are raising amazing children under the most complex and trying circumstances.

I’m way too exhausted to provide more context (more context will come when I return to the states) so I’m going to just dump 22 images from my last three days with some short captions.

Enjoy!

A girl asleep on the 52A bus that travels from the center of the city to the outskirts of the city.

Ette and Joanna in the front room of their home in Cerro de Cuatro. Cerro de Cuatro is one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Guadalajara.

Juana, one of the mothers I am profiling sits with family photos in the bedroom of her mother.

Ette listens as her mother tells stories of her family.

It's a humbling experience when an 8 year old boy with a giant backpack serves as your guide as you try to find your way back to your hotel. Jaime is a student at the Guadalajara-based NGO, CODENI.

Another student at CODENI poses in downtown Guadalajara.

Felipa is the grandmother, and the matriarch of the home where I am working. She takes great pride in her housework. With the help of Juana, her daughter, the house is spotless.

Juana and Felipa are Otomi, an indigenous population of Mexico. In this photo Felipa shows off a hand sewn blanket that took six months to create.

The above photo is a hand sewn laptop bag that will sell for about 30 pesos.

Ariana (on the left) leads her cousins to the local store for some candy.
Omar is Felipa's son. He is about the same age as Jauna's children... which makes him their uncle. I arrived at their home on Wednesday before the children woke. This is my favorite image of the trip so far.

Miguel, Juana's oldest son, wakes up every day before his brother and sister to help his mother with the daily chores.
Juana prepares breakfast and lunch for her children every day. They always sit together to share the meals.
Getting ready for school, the boys brush their teeth at the sinks in the front room.

Ariana watches as her mother brushes her hair.

Juana jokes with her daughter about school over some remaining lunch.

Juana's son, Hermando arrives each day to help with some more difficult chores. Without a consistent presence of men in the home, the children seemed unsure around him.

In a neighborhood plagued by drug use and rampant alcoholism, barbed wire and broken glass serve as the family's security system.

Joanna reacts when her cousins leave for school.

Juana sells potato chips in the center of Guadalajara. On the days that she sells, she accompanies her children to school for a one hour bus ride.

There will be more work on its way in the next couple days. If you took the time to look through the images, I'd love to hear from you.