Frontera NorteSur, August 1999

These photographs were taken in northeastern and central Mexico in 1997 by Paige DeShong. They document descansos and roadside shrines of these regions. Framed with the images are poems written in English or Spanish by a diverse group of writers who are familiar with the tradition of descansos. The poems are personal inventions and meditations on the images presented in the photographs.

Descansos are crosses erected in honor of someone who has died on the road, marking the location of the death. In México the crosses loom, often extravagantly, out of dry grasses, up over cactuses and into the horizon with the presence of the dead. They are usually erected by the compadres de parada de cruz, a married couple of ritual kinship who act as sponsors of the roadside cross and the ceremony that accompanies it. Most of the crosses display an expressive individuality; their composition, inscription, materials and forms are varied and representative of the deceased.

Accompanying the tradition of erecting crosses, is that of building roadside shrines. The shrines, which resemble small chapels, provide protection for highway travelers and a place to pull over to rest and pray. Usually they are dedicated to a particular saint, and inside have a lavish alter filled with lit candles, flowers, and religious folk art.

The participating writers represent diverse countries, including the United States, México, Cuba, Costa Rica, and France. This exhibit is also currently showing in a gallery at the Branigan Cultural Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, US, sponsored in part by the Doña Ana Arts Council and New Mexico Arts, A Divisionof the Office of Cultural Affairs. The poems and photographs are also available in book form, for copies please e-mail us at frontera@nmsu.edu