I come from a land of weavers (nia kanu do) and farmers (dexe tatna). My family has cultivated the highlands of La Mixteca for generations, a lineage rooted in the land and ancestral knowledge that has endured centuries.

Our traditions—woven blankets, wooden saddles shaped from tree branches—are visual testaments to resilience, adaptation, and cultural memory. To be Mixteco is to carry the language of form, texture, and spirit that speaks through our creations. I honor my ancestors not only by preserving tradition, but by transforming it—making space for the past to breathe into the present. Capturing the quiet rituals, gestures, and expressions that connect us to our roots even in unfamiliar soil.

I honor my parents who left everything they loved to give me the freedom to dream and to reclaim space for Indigenous narratives, asserting that our creations belong in institutions not as artifacts, but as evolving expressions of who we are.