It is time to recognize and give to the indigenus groups the credit they deserve. It is time to understand where we come from.
In 2011 I photographed more than 31,000 people in Mexico and the United States to counteract the 31,000 deaths that were consequence of the drug war. My main goal was to create a positive impact on the society.
In order to do this I intervened with hundreds of portraits in the cities that were most affected by violence, to symbolize recovering public spaces that were lost because of conflict.
Thanks to 31K Portraits for Peace I discovered a new nation: Native Nation.
I’m looking to preserve the greatness of these cultures through my photography in the form of a book. It is time to recognize and give them the credit they deserve. It is time to understand where we come from.
With your help, I will be able to create a historic archive for other generations to come. In this book I will show the greatness of the native nation.
When asked about Mexico most people can carry conversations about the country’s economy, immigrants, and tourist destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, and the Riviera Maya. But what most people don’t know is that deep within big cities like Mexico City, Puebla, Monterrey, and Guadalajara, there are numerous indigenous communities that were driven to the mountains from their nomadic plains by the Spanish 500 years ago.
Some of these towns are almost extinct, and you can only find information and statistics about the majority of these groups, but no real documentation. There isn’t a legacy to help them preserve and protect their customs.
I will visit their own towns, outlying valleys, mountains, deserts and jungles, documenting every detail of my long journey.
“Sometimes you need to cross mountains, and lakes, walk day and night. There are times that you spend all of your energy for one portrait. But at the end of the day, everything’s worth it.”
Native Nation: The Book Details
If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, this project will be developed into a beautiful and historical book of photographs and personal anecdotes. It will preserve the story of the indigenous groups of Mexico.
If we surpass our goal, this will allow for us to bring the indigenous groups an itinerant show of their own villages. The book will be used as a historical reference of the legacy of the native Mexicans.
The book will be a hardcover, fine art photography book in a size of 10″ x 8″ and approximately 300 pages full color.
Huffington Post
Remezcla
BuzzFeed
The Power of Pride and Tradition Through the Eyes of Photographer Diego Huerta
News.Mic
Visual News
BBC – England
Digifoto – France
Konbini
El País – Spain
UPSOCL
Interna – Poland
Wixarika maracame at San Andrés Coahmiata, Jalisco.
Travel around Mexico on my own is a real risk and challenge, first of all because you never know what kind of inconvenience you going to have in the next corner, in the next secondary road, but more than that a photography book would be at risk. As a result, the current reality is that I will need to pay for the book to be designed and published, so if we meet our pledge, things should go smoothly. There is always the possibility of delays, but we will do our best to keep things moving, and keep you updated.