26 in the Motherland

February 2026 marked one year of my grandfathers passing: the last of my grandparents. In Mexican culture death holds a lot of weight and is supposed to be treated as a celebration of life. Typically, the family gathers and mounts a wooden cross in the household of the one who has passed a year after they have gone on. I had not been to Mexico since 2019, and I had not seen my grandfather's house since I was probably 11 years old. Its also fitting that I turned 26 on the last day of this trip. I got to spend a few hours with my mom on my birthday for the first time in 3 years. I have many words to say about this trip, but I'll try to keep it short. This was the first time where I was old enough to really appreciate where my mom comes from. To see where she was brought up and to see how hard others have it down there really felt like a rose from the concrete type of deal. My mom and uncle took me to see all of Acapulco in its glory -- the beaches, the markets, the cliff divers, etc. Shoutout to el super bochito (my goat). I left this trip with a lot of inspiration. On the other end, I started this roll off with NYE spent with the homie Nick in Seattle! Shot with Portra160.