2003
Guatemala
I photographed these children while I was on a Vision Quest Photo Workshop in Guatemala. These two young girls were celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in a cemetery with their family. This is an annual three day celebration (October 31 to November 2) that is dedicated to all of their passed loved ones. The colorful traditional clothing they are wearing is called "traje." The colors and styles of traje can vary depending on the different villages you visit in Guatemala.
I met these three young ladies in the small impoverished town of Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. As with many families there, the older girls serve as the "day care" while their mothers sell goods at market and their fathers work in the fields. This trip and these children added so much perspective to my life I will forever be grateful for that experience.