This body of work started as a project called Identity Retablos I created in 2016, where I explored and sought to reconcile my identity as a biracial Latina living in a world where I was always in the in-between. I used the cultural art forms of retablos, ex-votos, and ofrendas within Latinx and Chicanx culture to influence my work, creating a narrative about my identity through photographic images, found objects, and handwritten text in a box/altar form.
When our family discovered our Central American Indigenous heritage through DNA testing, I found myself wanting to claim this part of myself that had been cut off from our family but not knowing where to start or if this was something I could ever connect with the limited information I had. I began to do research, talking with people, looking for answers, wishing I could find one place detailing all the solutions I sought. Through this journey, I had sacred experiences where I realized my ancestors, both genetically and spiritually, live within me. Decolonizing and healing my relationships with my mind, body, and spirit, I connected to the ancestors of my past, present, and future all living within me. The art pieces you see here are not about finding the answers and concrete information I was seeking at the beginning of my journey, but learning and understanding I already have the answers I seek, and I am enough just as I am. I come before you holding the roots of my soul, and whispering my mantra over my heart, eni-k la-una, Lenca for, I am listening.
https://www.bdac.org/roots-of-my-soul