Graciela Iturbide Mexican, b. 1942

In 1978, Iturbide received a commission from the Ethnographic Archive of the National Indigenous Institute of Mexico to document the lifeways of the Seri peoples. This formerly nomadic Indigenous group lives in the Sonoran Desert of northwestern Mexico. With the anthropologist Luis Barjau, Iturbide stayed in the 500-person community of Punta Chueca for two months. During this time, Iturbide built a close rapport with the women in the community. Iturbide recalls, “I lived with them in their homes…so they would see me always with my camera and know that I am a photographer. In this way, we can become partners.” Iturbide captured traditional Seri face painting on herself, an outsider, serving as a signal of Iturbide’s acceptance into the community. This period will culminate in the book and series, Los que viven en la arena (Those who live in the sand).