Inspired by 2018 life-sized installation we still here, there by sculpture artist Lauren Halsey, this project combines the mediums of visual arts, photography, intentional sound curation, short film, and letter-writing housed within a digital exhibition space. Making the intentional choice to reject conforming to a single one medium, I seek to honor the vastness of experiences, of stories, of cultural influences, and of identities that have shaped Mexico’s fourth smallest state, Colima. Throughout the vault of mediums, I depict how Indigenous and Afro-diasporic spirituality manages to live on in the present day, how identity loss does not always mean a loss of spirit, and how important it is to nurture even when the loss of identity occurs. Drawing from historical sources, journals, and narratives, we come to understand Afro-diasporic and Indigenous spirituality from the 1700s and its “evolution” into present day; drawing from my perspective of eternal ongoing reconnection to ancestral identity(ies), the mediums bring life and communion to what is perceivably gone. In analyzing to the articles, “How Asian Slaves Became Indians” by Tatiana Selijas and “Africa’s Lost Tribe in Mexico” by Miriam Jimenez Roman, I was able to play detective following any clues that spoke of the existence of Filipinx/Pinoy influence as well as Afro-descendant population in Colima. To my surprise, finding out that the Filipinx/Pinoy influence in Colima led to the introduction and distilling of coconuts, to an entire industry of coconut wine that precedes the distilling of maguey (production of mezcal and therefore tequila), to an industry that could “only” be sustained via exploitation of enslaved labor, to the reason why in 1793, over 42% of the population was Afro-descendent; was only the beginning. In examining sources such as “Monografia de Ixtlahuacan” by Jose Manuel Mariscal Olivares and “La devocion a Santa Ifigenia entre los Negros y los Mulatos de Nueva España, siglos XVII y XVIII” by Rafael Castañeda Garcia, I was able to link macro-scale phenomenons in colonial society Colima to my immediate lineage in Ixtlahuacan, as well as understanding the influence that the Afro-diaspora in Mexico has on customs I have either participated in that I previously considered too small to matter in relation to the world outside the town. As a practicer of ancestral veneration for the last half decade, leading to a complete transformation in my life — seen as going from a state of all encompassing helpless, self-abandonment and absolute dread over living as I was to a state of harnessing my own personal power making a commitment to show up more authentically and refusing to renounce my value, and as someone who lovingly houses the little brown girl I grew up as (becoming aware of racialization/colorism in Mexico way too young); this project is ultimately a love letter to all spirits who may be watching over me. A digitized communion that would usually take place in front of my altar, but for a moment takes place here instead. To my instructor: Thank you for providing the space that ultimately led to this exploration, I am both closer to understanding my generational strength of spirit and further from ever having a clear singular identity to go “back to” or path towards reconnection; as can be imagined perhaps.
