ESPANA OCULTA Public Celebrations in Spain, 1974-1989 (Spanish Edition)

These 126 photographs, taken from 1974 to 1989 and brought together for the first time in España Oculta, depict festivals and rituals as practiced in contemporary Spain. These images range from solemn penitential processions, pilgrimages, and individual penitential acts, to popular fiestas, carnival, and romerias. Here we encounter both the pagan and the Christian, the ludic and the tragic, private faith and collective devotion as well as "the sacred in everyday life." The result of almost two decades of persevering work, in these pages the internationally renowned photographer Cristina Garcia Rodero captures those moments in which the streets, the plazas, the bullrings, the pilgrimage routes, and the backroads of Spain are brought to life through festive celebration. Her photographs highlight the creative powers of individual men, women, and children who shape these events by magically transforming the mundane space and time of everyday life into the magical act that IS the fiesta.