I dreamed of this journey to Candela long before it began.
For years, I’ve longed for a deeper connection to my roots in Northern Mexico. What better way to do this than through my work as a visual artist? This project grew legs the second my proposal was selected by Daphne Art Foundation, and as a newly named artist-in-residence, I was excited to embark upon my journey. The goal of my project titled, Cognizant Distance, was to trace my paternal lineage from my home in San Antonio to my birthplace of Laredo, ultimately to Candela, Coahuila, Mexico, my ancestral home. In this work, I will honor my family’s origins in Mexico and shine a light on our shared regional and cultural heritage.
After many weeks of work, it was time to see Candela first-hand. Fellow artist, Karla Kopalli, in an abundance of care for my safety, contacted the local government in Coahuila and alerted them to my plans. Pamela Cortez, the Secretary of Culture in Candela, upon learning about my project and my family’s origins there, agreed to receive us in the main plaza as we arrived. With great anticipation, I drove into Mexico via the Camino Colombia Solidarity Bridge with my father by my side.
All my life, Candela had existed only in my dreams. I had known it only through stories, which were the stuff of folklore. The stories painted the town as a place bathed in sunlight, a place of eternal fecundity on the foothills of a mesa, fresh water flowing at the kind mercy of the Ojo de Agua. Candela had become my own Macondo, existing in the fringes between magic and reality.
My eyes were wide as we turned off the two-lane highway surrounded by mesquites and nopales, the familiar brush country landscape. I saw the hazy Mesa de los Cartujanos, deep-purple like a too-ripe plum, squatting low on the horizon, beckoning us beyond the abandoned stalwart white train station.
Once within the town of Candela, it hit me: I could see my great, great, great grandmother Rosalia Perales (my family’s link to our indigenous roots) sitting tall for a family portrait. I could see my grandmother in the vibrant fruit market in the plaza or floating on her back in the healing waters of Candela. I felt at peace and at home.
Candela surpassed my dreams of it. Pamela ushered us through a receiving line of Matachines about to begin their performance. As they danced, my heartbeat seemed to sync with their persistent drumbeat.
We toured the city’s landmarks, cooled off at theOjo de Agua, and tasted the local cuisine. I am beyond thankful for those experiences, seeing the lifestyle enjoyed by the locals who are lovingly nicknamed the “Tortugas.”
The images I accumulated during this visit have informed my subsequent paintings and monoprints, all of which will be exhibited in my upcoming solo exhibition, Cognizant Distance, at the San Antonio Central Library Gallery on March 7, 2026. I invite you to visit and see my work, a heartfelt pictorial road trip spanning from San Antonio to Laredo and ending where it all began, in Candela.
I have since been invited by the City of Candela to have a solo exhibition there. Words fail me trying to describe the honor that is for me. My show will be the first art exhibit in the town’s history, tentatively scheduled for November 2026.
I understand, now, why I dreamed of this journey. Candela is in the fiber of me, and like the beat of the Matachines’ drum, it pulses through me. I close my eyes, and can hear it. I put my hand on my heart and can feel it.
