Mariachi

This is an image in my portfolio.

Los Angeles, like many of its inhabitants, tries its best to pretend that it is a spry young thing devoid of history, traditions and wrinkles. From time to time, however, the facade cracks and you get a glimpse of a more storied interior.

Cinco De Mayo, a regional holiday in Mexico, has taken on much more significance in the United States than in Mexico itself (cf. St Patrick's Day). For Mexican immigrants there are festivals and fiestas; for non-Mexicans it's an excuse to drink Coronas and reminisce about those drunken spring breaks in Cancun. As you can guess from its name, it takes place annually on the 5th of May.

Several years ago while I was still living there I went down to Olvera Street in Los Angeles. I made a beeline for the music stage featuring traditional mariachi bands. Many of them came from local high schools, the level of musicianship very high. I was surprised, but this says more about my daily exposure to Mexican culture (or lack thereof) and prejudices than anything else.

I took up a position in the alleyway backstage where the musicians gathered, practiced, joked and kept out of the sun. I was struck by this girl, by her looks, outfit, and poise. I was determined to take a photograph of her separate from her fellow mariachis. In an unguarded moment I snapped her as she looked over at me. Nowadays I would have simply approached her and asked her permission, but either out of shyness, feeling out of place, or simply a desire to stay anonymous and record what I was seeing without interfering, I held back.

Despite flaws in the picture, it has remained one of my favourites over the years. The evident grain is due to the fast 3200-speed black and white film I was using. Many people think this photograph was taken in Spain, another misinterpretation which I quite enjoy. Taken altogether, the girl and her outfit, the brick wall, the grain, gives the impression of a photograph from another place, another time long ago, certainly not modern Los Angeles.