In the surrounding valleys of Oaxaca in Mexico, there is an ancestral celebration where entire communities take over the streets, filling the atmosphere with music, fireworks, and the presence of dark & mythical entities. With burnt oil covering their entire skins, loud-clattering cowbells around their waists, and masks made of dried animal parts, bones, and carved wood, they embody and channel the energy from their ancestors in the form of dancing devils.
But it’s not all about creating a diabolical block party all around town. Dating back to the times of Spanish colonization, these carnivals held mythical & ancestral significance mixed with a rebellious act of mockery to the imposed Catholic religion by Spanish invaders. To prepare themselves for Cuaresma, a period of 40 days of penance, prayer, and fasting, the Zapotecas created symbolic wedding engagements as an excuse to celebrate and drink before Sunday confession and the upcoming weeks of good Catholic behavior. These fictitious weddings were accompanied by a horde of Diablos that marched the streets, starting from the bride's house, and making their way to the municipality center in a big celebratory and festive dance.
The costume's purpose was not just for fun; turning into a diablo also had a mythical and spiritual purpose. They dress up to protect themselves against bad energies and influences, while the loud-sounding cowbells were used to fend off evil and bad spirits. Spiritually, they not only cleanse themselves as individuals but also cleanse the whole town, celebrating as a connected community.
Oaxaca, Mexico
2024
After 10 years of dreaming about capturing this scene, I can finally say I accomplished one of my most important life’s achievements. Venturing into the mouth of hell and witnessing the unforgiving wrath of our planet with my own eyes, while capturing its glory. A photographer’s dream not everyone gets to experience in their lifetime.
After an intense but steady 4-hour hike up to Acatenango’s basecamp, the framing of the Fire Volcano resembled scenes from nature documentaries or sci-fi films. During the day, the booming sound and the trembling of the earth below my feet were accompanied by a giant cloud of ash, creating an atmosphere of excitement and suspense. As dusk fell, and the darkness of night peaked around the corner, the rocks thrown from the explosions had an incandescent glow from the heat, but that was nothing compared to the light show that was about to unfold. In the dark of the night, within a window of around 15 to 30 minutes, the sky ignited with massive bursts of flaming rocks and lava, turning the whole landscape into an inferno that fulfilled the thirst for Armageddon my camera had been waiting so long to capture. At an altitude above 3,976 meters, it was as close as I’ve ever been to heaven and hell.
Guatemala
2023
In the surrounding valleys of Oaxaca in Mexico, there is an ancestral celebration where entire communities take over the streets, filling the atmosphere with music, fireworks, and the presence of dark & mythical entities. With burnt oil covering their entire skins, loud-clattering cowbells around their waists, and masks made of dried animal parts, bones, and carved wood, they embody and channel the energy from their ancestors in the form of dancing devils.
But it’s not all about creating a diabolical block party all around town. Dating back to the times of Spanish colonization, these carnivals held mythical & ancestral significance mixed with a rebellious act of mockery to the imposed Catholic religion by Spanish invaders. To prepare themselves for Cuaresma, a period of 40 days of penance, prayer, and fasting, the Zapotecas created symbolic wedding engagements as an excuse to celebrate and drink before Sunday confession and the upcoming weeks of good Catholic behavior. These fictitious weddings were accompanied by a horde of Diablos that marched the streets, starting from the bride's house, and making their way to the municipality center in a big celebratory and festive dance.
The costume's purpose was not just for fun; turning into a diablo also had a mythical and spiritual purpose. They dress up to protect themselves against bad energies and influences, while the loud-sounding cowbells were used to fend off evil and bad spirits. Spiritually, they not only cleanse themselves as individuals but also cleanse the whole town, celebrating as a connected community.
Oaxaca, Mexico
2024
In the surrounding valleys of Oaxaca in Mexico, there is an ancestral celebration where entire communities take over the streets, filling the atmosphere with music, fireworks, and the presence of dark & mythical entities. With burnt oil covering their entire skins, loud-clattering cowbells around their waists, and masks made of dried animal parts, bones, and carved wood, they embody and channel the energy from their ancestors in the form of dancing devils.
But it’s not all about creating a diabolical block party all around town. Dating back to the times of Spanish colonization, these carnivals held mythical & ancestral significance mixed with a rebellious act of mockery to the imposed Catholic religion by Spanish invaders. To prepare themselves for Cuaresma, a period of 40 days of penance, prayer, and fasting, the Zapotecas created symbolic wedding engagements as an excuse to celebrate and drink before Sunday confession and the upcoming weeks of good Catholic behavior. These fictitious weddings were accompanied by a horde of Diablos that marched the streets, starting from the bride's house, and making their way to the municipality center in a big celebratory and festive dance.
The costume's purpose was not just for fun; turning into a diablo also had a mythical and spiritual purpose. They dress up to protect themselves against bad energies and influences, while the loud-sounding cowbells were used to fend off evil and bad spirits. Spiritually, they not only cleanse themselves as individuals but also cleanse the whole town, celebrating as a connected community.
Oaxaca, Mexico
2024
With incredible summer weather, surfers in Puerto Rico can easily adapt to the different swells that hit the island’s coastlines and ride its waves almost all year long. But Puerto Rico’s identity as a surfing destination is also rooted in the local surfing community, the pillars of which are surfboard craftsmen.
Composed of locals who have spent their entire lives surfing and studying the island’s waves, craftsmen use their experience as inspiration to build beautiful surfboards by hand. Not only are their designs works of art that have been personalized for the needs and skills of each customer, but they are also a relevant symbol of identity for any local surfers who own these boards.
There is a certain sense of pride among local surfers to ride a surfboard made in Puerto Rico, especially within an industry that is heavily influenced by international brands. But it wasn’t until the beginning of 2023—when I received my first custom hand-shaped surfboard from Machete Shapes—that I truly understood that sense of pride, which sparked my curiosity enough to visit and document the works of local shapers Mika Ramírez, Néstor Ramírez, and Migue Flores.
2023
Read the full article here:
https://www.afar.com/magazine/surfboard-craftsmen-are-shaping-puerto-ricos-surfing-culture
