Shadow between lights
The High Mountains of Veracruz slope down until they meet the coastal plain. In this vast region, trees inspire love and good company—though there is one dark exception.
ReadFamily member
Like pets, trees can become members of a family. This mamey (Pouteria sapota) has seen several generations of its own grow over more than 100 years.
They spoil each other
The tree gives sweet fruits and its human relatives give it all the care it needs to continue being a witness to its history.
Eternal pupil of school (2021-04-04) by José Gabriel Molina (fotógrafo) and José Gabriel Molina Coria (participante)Colectivo Rokunin
Accompanied by hundreds of children
At first, the life of this jobo tree (Spondias sp.) was quite solitary. But ever since a primary school was built in front of it, it has watched a community of hundreds grow and pass by. Nearly five hundred students walk beside it every day as they enter and leave their classes.
Old acquaintances
Many of the parents who now walk their children to school are old acquaintances of this tree, which watched over their steps decades ago, when they were the students. A witness to generations, it offers everyone the coolness of its shade in this hot village.
Spondias sp is a tree native to America and reaches heights of 25 meters. It is associated with subevergreen and evergreen tropical forests, its fruit is edible and its juice is used to prepare ice cream, soft drinks and jams.
Unique in its kind
The grandson of the man who chose to build his house beside this magnificent tree realized it was the only one of its kind (Terminalia amazonia) in the entire town. He hopes it will live long, but has planted its seeds so that children may grow around it.
The tallest son in the family (2021-03-30) by Alejandro Vergara (fotógrafo) and Josué Rafael Morales (participante)Colectivo Rokunin
Sacred tree
Raised with the Mayan myth of the ceiba (Ceiba sp.) as a sacred tree—with its branches holding up the sky and its deep roots piercing through the earth—those who grew up here honored its space when building the family business, which was constructed as an embrace around it.
Ceiba (2021-04-30) by Mark QuijanoColectivo Rokunin
The trunk of this kind of trees is straight, cylindrical and smooth, with conical spines when the tree is young.
Future pink forest
The newly planted trees are hope and stimulus for the imagination, which recreates a future pink oak forest (Tabebuia rosea) here.
Mystery and poetry (2021-03-15) by Luis Díaz Barriga (fotógrafo) and Lino Alejo Castillo Guadalupe (participante)Colectivo Rokunin
Sinister beauty
The silhouette of this pochota (Ceiba pentandra) is as beautiful as it is eerie. Once used for hangings during the Mexican Revolution, it now hides a darker truth—so many bodies have been found at its base, the local press calls it a clandestine cemetery.
Came before everyone (2021-03-15) by Luis Díaz Barriga (fotógrafo) and Lino Alejo Castillo Guadalupe (participante)Colectivo Rokunin
A light breaks through such black fame: it still stands thanks to the victory of local environmentalists, who defended the place against a waste dumping project in 2008.
Ceiba pentandra
It is native from Mexico to Brazil and Africa. National symbol of Guatemala and Puerto Rico. Sacred tree of the Mayans, who considered it as an entrance to the underworld.
This is one of six online exhibitions resulting from Colectivo Rokunin's Trees 2021 Project. With an open call in the central area of Veracruz, citizens were invited to share important trees in their lives. Thanks to the involvement of more than 80 people (almost 60 participants, in addition to the jury, photographers, designers and artists) these testimonies of the powerful bond that unites humans and trees took shape.
Shadow between lights
Tree Project, Rokunin Collective 2021, Veracruz, Mexico.
Text: Teresa Morte
Research: Norma Falcón and Itzel Mendoza
Copyediting: Alejandra Mendoza
Design: Alejandra Mendoza, Roberto González and Teresa Morte
Illustrations: Mark Quijano
Photographs: Lenin Suriano, Itzel Mendoza, José Gabriel Molina, Alejandro Vergara and Luis Díaz
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
