I love my friend Chilín’s face. His is one of the faces featured in my exhibit, Somos de la Raza (Mexican to the Bone) at the Southern Oregon Guild gallery in Kerby, Oregon. 
CHIAPAS, MEXICO: During our trip we had the opportunity to visit a Zapatista village. The Zapatistas are a socialist revolutionary group, recognizable for their signature, black skii masks. Zapatista-held territory is divided into five sub-regions, visualized as caracoles, or snails, symbolizing the slow but sure pace of revolutionary progress. Here you see a Zapatista rebel emerging from his caracol to “whisper” in my friend, Atzimba’s, ear.
We were very disappointed by what we found out about the Zapatistas. Even my friend, Atzimba, who is leftist leaning and was always very supportive of the rebellion, felt that they were missing the mark as far as achieving the goal of a better life for the Mayan people.
FROM MY RECENT TRIP TO CHIAPAS, MEXICO: In the first picture, 
Mayan women hold up their traditional embroidered skirts. I had to buy a shawl (also gorgeously embroidered) in order get them to allow me to take their photo. Even so, you can see that the woman on the left is partially hiding her face.
No one we asked would admit to believing that a photo would steal their souls, or something of that nature. I think they know that modern society looks down on that belief. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure that’s the case. Take a look at the second picture, where the mother is “protecting” her baby from having its photo taken. 
I met Carol when she was hitchhiking out of the IV, seeking to escape a horribly abusive relationship that had left her battered and homeless. I just love this shot of her. I feel it captures her toughness and resilience in the face of a hard, hard life. Like many of the homeless I’ve approached for photos, she was happy to oblige: These folks are so marginalized, being photographed helps them to feel “seen” by mainstream society.
Garbed in the frills and frippery and finery of yesteryear, this decaying bride awaits the groom that never did arrive and never will. Wrinkles have consumed her face, as waiting her life: hope turned to dismay, youth to dust, gentility to jest. She remains, scorned but proud, unbendingly, in her gown of startling virgin white. Waiting, waiting for life’s fulfillment.
The copper pot you see is called a cazo, and is used to make carnitas – a richly flavored preparation of pork meat. By the way, if you are ever at a Mexican restaurant and see chicken carnitas listed on the menu … run like the dickens! There is no such thing in true Mexican cuisine. Shredded (pulled) pork is also unauthentic. Following is a recipe for the real deal:
Ingredients
2 lbs of pork and 2 lbs of lard
Typically, the cuts of pork used for carnitas include:
• Butt
• Shank
• Belly (buche)
• Spare ribs
• Tongue – sliced down the middle
• Ears – passed over a flame to burn off any hairs
• Skin (cuero) – passed over a flame to burn off any hairs
An orange, cut in quarters
Flavor Mixture (quantities are approximate; adjust to taste):
• 1 -2 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion cut in quarters
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• A couple bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 can of beer
• 1/4 cup of evaporated milk
• Approx. 1 teaspoon of salt
Procedure
Add the lard to the cazo, along with approximately one cup of water. (The water prevents the meat from crisping.) Once the mixture boils, begin gradually adding the pork cuts, according to the cooking time needed. Start with the tongue and the other meatier cuts, as they take longer to cook. Add the orange. Stir every 5 minutes or so, for approximately an hour, to keep the meat from sticking.
Blend together all the ingredients of the Flavor Mixture, and add to the cazo and cook for about another hour, stirring every 5 minutes or so. If necessary, lower the flame slightly.
Once the carnitas are completely cooked, remove the various cuts from the cazo and cut into bite-size or taco-sized pieces. The meat should be dripping with juice. Enjoy with corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and salsa!
First, a caveat: Not all of the street people featured in my OUTSIDERS photogallery are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Most are. The exception appears to be those who are lucky enough to collect some sort of disability income, whether through Social Security or their military service. At any rate, I got to wondering: What are the primary causes of homelessness?
According to a 2009 PBS special, the three main causes of homelessness among families are: lack of affordable housing, poverty, and unemployment. Among single people, the main causes are: substance abuse, lack of affordable housing, mental illness. Also, 40% of homeless men are veterans, although veterans only comprise 34% of the general population.
Oh and, by the way, the National Alliance to End Homelessness has estimated that the recession will add 1.5 million new homeless over the two year period beginning in mid-2009 and ending in mid-2011.
Another caveat: It is very difficult to count the homeless. For instance, I very much doubt that my friend Dave, who camps out in the woods in his van, was included in the recent 2010 census. And what about defining who is “homeless” and who is not? For instance, should someone who is couch surfing be included in that category? What we do know is that this terrible recession will substantially increase the number of people who find themselves, at some point, without a permanent place to live.
Hello all. Just a quick post to let you know that I’ve posted my first photos from my new project, The IV Worships. Check them out under About/Photo Galleries – The IV Worships – First Love Christian Fellowship.
In the intro to my NIGHT VISIONS project I talk about capturing patterns of nature that aren’t discernible during the day. Here’s an example: On the left is tree and brush during the day. And on the right is the exact same shot at night. Vive la difference!
This hungry mom clearly had a litter of suckling puppies stashed somewhere. I met her in the main square of Santa Clara del Cobre, a little town near Patzcuaro, Michoacan. There was a corner grocery nearby, so I ran in and bought a package of franks, which she promptly inhaled. Four packages later I had run out of ready cash. There are hundreds of thousands of street dogs in Mexico. They subsist on scraps of garbage and the occasional largesse from a Good Samaritan. Hopefully, I helped this one — and her pups — survive another day.
