Magdalena Correa: Las caras de la tierra

1 Febrero - 19 Abril 2022

Photographs that the artist Magdalena Correa has taken in this time of pandemic in the north of Mexico, specifically in the Mezquital Valley, where the indigenous heritage survives harmoniously united by the Hispanic heritage. This recent work will be presented at ZONAMACO 2022

 

In 2017 Mexico ranked second in femicides in a list of twenty-four nations, only behind Brazil; however, in 2019 it ranked first. Fifty-nine percent of women who have a partner suffer physical, emotional and sexual violence, Mexico does not fall below its tragic mark of 10 women murdered every day.

The Mezquital Valley is part of the central Mexican highlands, within the physiographic province of the neo-volcanic plateau. It includes the western part of the State of Hidalgo, in the north of Mexico. The Hidalgo Valley is a valley where the Otomí and and Nahua indigenous heritage survives, harmoniously united by the Hispanic heritage. The way of life in this area is conditioned by external factors that gradually affect the environmental, cultural and social balance. The impoverishment has long since provoked the migration of its inhabitants, the disengagement of the peasants from the land. In particular, The lack of basic services (drinking water, roads, electricity, etc.) means that the environmental and cultural wealth of rural areas in Hidalgo does not benefit their inhabitants.

The women are the key actors in the decision-making process concerning the different needs of their localities, fighting for equality and respect. Women are often excluded from social and development processes, keeping them in vulnerable conditions throughout their lives. In addition to the high rate of domestic violence to which they are subjected, they generally belong to families with minimal income. Due to this precariousness, men migrate abroad illegally, mainly to the United States of America, leaving the woman and her children adrift. In the end, it is the women who support the family economically.