Media typically portrays Latinx people under a limited viewpoint of stereotypes and tropes as imagined by a person outside of the community. These vague, generic, and oftentimes damaging interpretations leave out layers of complexity and truth. Socorro (2015-present) is an ongoing project that documents the artist’s grandmother Socorro, a first generation Mexican American, in her home in Milpitas, CA. Socorro lived a full life of love, hardship, pain, joy, and faith. She is the embodiment of strength, love, and family. Socorro and her husband Manuel raised a family of 5, have 7 grandchildren, and 6 and counting great grandchildren. Manuel passed away in 2010 leaving Socorro to live alone in their family home. Socorro has been the backbone and matriarch of the family for decades, but as she ages, she can no longer take on that role in the same way.

Socorro focuses on the last chapters of her life as an elderly woman who faces many health challenges from the perspective of her granddaughter. The images record this transitionary time, shift of energy, and the details of her daily life. Socorro’s home is no longer the place where family frequently comes and goes, meeting for menudo or tamales, birthdays and holidays. It is now a place where Socorro moves along slowly and quietly watching her novelas and news. It is a peaceful home full of memories of joy, love, care, and loss. Socorro is an honest, multifaceted love letter and thank you to the artist’s grandmother and the ancestors who have been erased and forgotten. Gracias para todo.