For the last 5 years, most of my work has been focused on understanding the complex phenomena pertaining to a very particular and important territory known as the Guatemalan Highlands.
Starting from the Spanish invasion of Guatemala in the 16th century and its repercussions, then going through the imposed obscurantism that subdued and crushed the local reigns and finally a new colonial system that shifted the power balance in favour of the invaders, I’ve been garnering many ideas that have become key ingredients in my subject of research.
It is important to denote that the local timeline is unaligned with the norm of progress dictated by the socio-economic and technological epicentre of the world, and despite the fact that the Mayan post-war generation in the Guatemalan highlands reached a turning point, defined by economic leverage, I am more interested in how the current generation is developing a new set of cultural assets imbued with their local traditions along with more global narratives and aesthetics.
The youth of the highlands is the first generation to effectively establish an intelligible dialogue with their contemporaries around the world.
There is a vitality that springs from the territory itself, along with a splendour that always belonged to this group —an energetic force— indelible and intense, gradually gaining traction after a blurry reality instilled during colonial times.
With this new body of work, I intend to document the “process of becoming”, the shift and changes of the social structure in the highlands and the coming of age of a new generation developing in the area.