Statement:

Chinantla is a village in the State of Puebla, Mexico. The people in Chinantla are Catholic and very religious. An important time of year for Chinantecos (people from Chinantla) is Semana Santa, which means “Holy Week”. Semana Santa is a week-long celebration, and the Chinantecos take part in processions and present the story of the passion of Christ. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic (COVID-19), the Chinantecos were not able to celebrate Semana Santa as they do every year. As you can see in one of the photographs, the main street is empty.

Chinantla is a very small and poor village. A lot of Chinantecos have migrated to the USA for a better life. You will only find the elderly people taking care of the children. A lot of these children have to work at an early age to survive and help their families. Most adults are working outside of Chinantla either in the state of Puebla or in the USA, but they return when possible to celebrate traditions and religious festivities. 

In Chinantla you can still find houses made out of mud. The water is scarce now but about forty years ago there was a river that has now dried up. There are a lot of street dogs, some living in very bad conditions. People are starting to help and they have placed PVC dog feeders with food and water. Chinantla is a small poor village but there are great people living in it. 

These photos were taken on March 25- April 5th 2021 with a Canon Camera. The picture of The Boy and his Dog, The Chinanteco and The Holy Jesus are in black and white because “When you photograph people in color you photograph their clothes but when you photograph people in black and white you photograph their soul,” according to Ted Grant. The Working Boy and the other photographs that are in color because I want people to see how colorful Chinantla can be.