Mexico’s rich culture is a mixture of indigenous and colonial pasts. Modern Mexican spirituality—including belief in an afterlife and devotion to faith—pays homage to this marriage of heritages. In this symbolically charged photograph, a humble altar converts an otherwise ordinary corner of a room into a space of sanctity and faithfulness. Similar altars are commonly found in Mexican homes. The scene of a red adobe wall and blue tarp may display inexpensive materials, but they frame the beauty and piety of the altar. The tarp baths the scene in a blue glow. The Virgin of Guadalupe appears in the center, surrounded by important saints and illuminated by white flowers, candles and hanging images of purity and divine respect. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint and central Marian figure, points to the complex cultural hybridity of Mexico and its embrace both of indigenous tradition and the influence of Catholicism. Kathleen Armenta ’21 and Luis Miguel Guerrero ’20 “Only, I know how far away heaven is from us; but I know how to shorten the paths. All you have to do is die, God willing, when one wants to, and not when He has proposed.” “Sólo que sé lo lejos que está el cielo de nosotros; pero sé cómo acortar los caminos. Todo lo que tienes que hacer es morir, si Dios quiere, cuando uno quiere, y no cuando ha propuesto.” Juan Rulfo Pedro Páramo (1955)