Isaac Guzmán
Antropólogo y fotógrafo independiente tiene una comprensión amplia sobre la historía de los hechos políticos y sociales en Chiapas. La fotografía se convierte en una herramienta para la investigación, la denuncia y para avanzar en el diálogo crítico. Isaac se centra en documentar violaciones de los derechos humanos y temas de justicia social, incluyendo la migración, y lucha por el territorio .
Breaking the Wall
En octubre de 2018, llegaron miles de migrantes en caravana a la frontera de Chiapas, revelando las terribles circunstancias que existen en muchos países de latinoamerica.
Este proyecto busca explorar la influencia de procesos migratorios y de asentamiento cambiantes en dinámicas cultural y económica de las comunidades fronterizas en el estado de Chiapas, México. Los cambios en la política de inmigración de Estados Unidos y México están teniendo efectos dramáticos y visibles en la experiencia vivida de los solicitantes de asilo, refugiados y migrantes económicos que huyen de condiciones desesperadas en sus países de origen, así como en las comunidades receptoras.
In October 2018 the arrival of the thousands of migrants in the migrant caravan at the Border of Chiapas revealed the dire circumstances that exist in many Latin American countries, resulting in the need for migrants to leave in search of opportunity.
This project seeks to explore the influence of shifting migration and settlement patterns on the cultural and economic dynamics of border communities in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Changes to US and Mexican immigration policy are having dramatic, visible effects on the lived experience of asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants fleeing desperate conditions in their home countries as well as on receiving communities.
Embers Burning in the Dry Grass
After the Zapatista uprising of 1994, the Mexican government began training paramilitary bodies to counter insurgencies and break up support for the Zapatista National Liberation Forces (EZLN). The government occupation in territories neighboring those of the Zapatista began deep divisions between communities in the municipality of Chenalho, Chiapas having serious consequences on the society and culture of indigenous people in the area. These divisions still exist today and have led to a recent surge of violence between the communities of Aldama and Chalchihuitan as they struggle to defend their land and traditional customs.
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Travel Safely, Come Back Soon.
Over more than two decades tourism in Chiapas has grown exponentially, transforming its archeological sites and natural reserves to cater to foreign markets. This transformation can be observed in more than just the physical landscape, but in the people who live there and their cultural traditions. Tourism as a neoliberal practice appropriates elements of local culture to market products and experiences as “exotic” and attractive to foreign tourists, by making them easier to access, at an insignificant cost. This has resulted in exaggerated cultural performances, detached from the reality of the lived experience of communities.