In the state of Guerrero, there exists a Mexico that has long been ignored throughout history: a community that remained in the shadows until recent times. This community, which anthropologists refer to as the third root, was not officially recognized by the government until 1992—almost 500 years after the arrival of Africans on Mexico’s coasts.

The Afro-descendants, as they are known, are an essential part of Mexico’s rich cultural diversity; yet their legacy has been marginalized, hidden beneath the cloak of invisibility and discrimination. These conditions remain present today, as expressed by the first Afro-descendant mayor of the newly established municipality of San Nicolás, Tania Ávila Magadán, who states: “We are forgotten.”

It is disheartening to witness how national media outlets have neither covered the news nor produced a report about the first Afro-descendant woman to serve as mayor in Mexico.

Through this photographic project, my goal is to shed light on the existence of Afro-descendants in Mexico and raise awareness of their contribution to the nation’s identity. It is time to acknowledge their presence and move toward a more inclusive and just society.