Roj Rodriguez: Mi Sangre

A compelling photographic portrait of Mexican culture on both sides of the border

Austin-based photographer Roj Rodriguez's (born 1971) series Mi Sangre began as a photo-documentation of a personal journey to retrace his Mexican heritage and soon evolved into a broader project aimed at highlighting Mexican culture on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Everyday life, culture and popular iconography in Mexico are documented here, but portrayed as they are seen in Mexico and as Mexican Americans in the US reinterpret them. With each of the subjects portrayed, Roj Rodriguez engaged in sometimes casual, sometimes insightful conversations. Mi Sangre includes proud and elegant charros, beautiful and skilled escaramuzas, joyful and coy children, wise and innocent elders, vibrant and talented mariachi musicians, loving and welcoming families, and Rodriguez's reinterpretations of Loteria iconography.