PHOTO
SCRAPERS

As families arrived in Chicago, they were presented with a new landscape. The acres of crops they were so familiar with were now replaced with tall, modern skyscrapers. One building in particular became well known in La Haciendita, the historic Congress Hotel. It was in this hotel where a resident of the town had found employment and began recruiting others from La Haciendita to work there. Soon enough, it became an entry point for the town, making it possible for families to begin their new lives in the city.

Many of the photographs in this exhibition were collected from various albums that exist across Mexico and the United States. They date as far back as the 1920s to today and include everything from an old silver plate print to a selfie taken on the latest iPhone. This installation showcases the earliest recorded photographs of the Herrera and Yepez bloodline, including great great grandparents, Regino Ruiz and Juanita Gonzalez and is a nod to three of Chicago’s most iconic architectural structures: the Willis Tower, the Crane Company Building, and the John Hancock Center.