—Diana Aguilar & Patsy Mejía

We wanted to create a piece that would reflect the stories of our ancestors before they migrated to the United States, where, unfortunately, some of our ancestors passed away before making it back to their native homeland. The left piece represents the scene of our native homeland. It is not populated by buildings or polluted by emissions. The cerros are our ancestors’ homes and where they chose their final resting place. They were laid to rest in the land of their ancestors. However, our piece also reflects the migration story of our ancestors before us. Our ancestors migrated to the United States to work under conditions that exploited and commodified their labor all for the “American Dream.” They worked with the belief that their descendants would have a better chance at life than they had. Unfortunately, some of our ancestors died in the United States without being able to go back to their native country one last time or were unable to be buried alongside their ancestors. We remember our ancestors both in our home countries and in the United States. —Diana Aguilar & Patsy Mejía