The damaged photograph seen to the left is of my maternal Grandparents and was taken in 1965. The story pertaining to this object took place a little over two decades before I was born and belongs to my mother. Most of my family grew up and lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. In 1979 my parents and my sister, barely one at the time, decided to join my dad's side of the family on their journey to the United States. Before leaving, my mom had to say goodbye to her family, so as a parting gift my Grandparents gave her and my sister this photograph to remember them. On the back of the photograph it has written in Spanish, "For our granddaughter, with lots of love from your grandparents so that you don't forget us." signed Manuel y Consuelo Rodriguez. My mom carried this photograph with her for the four days it took them to get from Guadalajara to Mexicali, then to Tijuana before finally arriving in Los Angeles. It took my parents and my sister two days to get to Mexicali by train, where my dad’s family was waiting for them. My grandpa hired a coyote to help them cross the border but they were caught and deported back to Mexicali. They decided to try again in Tijuana, where they hired another coyote that took them through a wire fence. Shortly after arriving in the United States, they were assaulted by robbers who stole a lot of their valuables. However, the only valuable items my mom was carrying at the time were that photograph and her wedding ring, which she managed to hide. This photograph remains one of the many memories of the adversities she faced to get where she is now.

– Itzel Lopez

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child