Home Altars of Mexico

For over a decade, Dana Salvo has traveled throughout the central highlands and southern states of Mexico with his family. Welcomed into the homes of rural people, including Purpechan, Chamulan, and Zinacantan Indians, as few have been before, Salvo was permitted the rare privilege of photographing their private and deeply personal home environments. Central to each interior was the altarcito, or home altar. These dazzling large-format color photographs depict the altars in all their glory and meticulous detail. Some are constructed for special holidays--Christmas or the Day of the Dead, for instance--while others commemorate beloved family members using photographs, mementoes, and the deceased's favorite foods. The essays provide the cultural and historic background to the practice of constructing domestic altars, linking the ancient traditions with modern customs.