Graciela Iturbide was born in 1942 in Mexico City. She was born to traditional Catholic parents and is the oldest of thirteen children. Early on in her life, she was introduced to the world of photography. She grew up with her father taking pictures of her and her siblings and she received her first camera when she was just eleven years old. In 1970, Graciela used photography as a coping mechanism after the death of her six-year-old daughter, Claudia. She originally went to school for film but later realized her passion was truly in the hands of photography. In 1978, she was commissioned to do a photo series about Mexico’s Seri Indians. Her later work became inspired by her activism in the feminist community. Her most recognizable photograph is probably her portrait titled, “Nuestra Señora de Las Iguanas”. This photo became so popular that there is now a statue of this women in Juchitán and there are murals and graffiti inspired by the photo as well. Graciela’s work is incredibly inspiring to me because she is one of the first female photographers to really capture the importance of Latin American culture.
All work courteous of Graciela Iturbide.