My series Kanitlow takes its name from the Zapotec word for when a person starts to disappear. I wanted to record things that are in danger of disappearing not all at once, but gradually, without our noticing. I was inspired to document the elderly in particular because I’m drawn to old photographs of my own grandpa; I wanted other grandchildren to be able to look at photos of their grandparents and almost feel the details of their clothing and their bodies, and to see up close what it means to preserve a culture.

Published in the January 2022 issue: View Contents

Luvia Lazo is a Zapotec photographer from Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. She received a Jóvenes Creadores grant in 2020 and an Indigenous Photo Project grant in 2021.

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