Carmen Lomas Garza

In Carmen Lomas Garza's expansive catalog of work I have managed to find a personal favorite piece. My favorite is titled, Tamalada, depicting a family coming together and making tamales. You can't tell if it's for a special occasion of just because but everyone in the family pitches in. I love this piece because it is so relatable because when my family makes tamales, everyone is in the kitchen helping. And in my family we only make tamales for Navidad so it is an activity that brings the entire family together. I can see myself in this work, trying to embarrar la oja and then failing miserably. Although I am not very good at it I stand in the kitchen in solidarity with the members of my family who are experts. 

At first this seems like an everyday, mundane activity but this print had me look at the process of making tamales as a ritual. First you have to wash la oja del tamal, shown by the group of three standing above a huge pot where you soak the leaves. After the ojas are dried, then the process of embarrando, then rellenando, and finally cerrando. Once all that is done you cook them and a couple of hours later you are ready to enjoy the finished product. By seeing the art of making tamales as a ritual I was also able to see it as an extension of the Navidad ritual. When I look back on all of my christmases, I remember eating and preparing tamales as much as I do opening up presents. Tamales are a part of that tradition and ritual and are just as important as the religious aspect of Navidad.