Schöne Smallpox Photos
Schöne smallpox Bilder:
Doña Ignacia de barro
Bild von arantxamex
Doña Ignacia dice que viene de Zinapécuaro a "pedir mi limosna", y lo dice con el tono del que viene a cumplir con su cometido laboral. Le duelen las piernas, el vientre, le falta un ojo ("lo perdí por unas viruelas de chica") y en el que le queda asoman las blancas nubes de la catarata. Dice que su hija tampoco ve mucho. Me la encuentro esporádicamente por las calles de Morelia y cuando la veo me paro a platicar con ella. De sus labios no sale más queja que la que arranca el dolor en sus rodillas y cuando me despido de ella, siempre me acompañan sus bendiciones y el mismo Dios: "Dios te acompañe y te guarde", me dice con una sonrisa.
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Doña Ignacia comes to Morelia from Zinapécuaro, another town nearby. She says, with the same expression as a worker that comes to do his job, that she came "to ask for my coins".
Her legs aches, she has lost an eye ("some viruelas that I had when I was little") and in the one that has left, you can see the white clouds of "catarata" (an oftalmologic illness that avoids to see properly and sometimes causes blindness). She says that her daughter doesn’t see very well too. I found Doña Ignacia sometimes in Morelia and when I see her, I stop to talk a little.
From her lips I cannot hear another complaint than the one that the aches of her knees make go out. When I say goodbye, I allways have with me all the blessings and even God: "God shall take good care of you", she says.
The first version of this story:
I’m meeting Madam Ignacia Sanchez Botello, that every week comes to Morelia " to ask for my alms". At the age of 85, tours the arcade walking slowly and unsteady. From time to time, somebody feels sorry and stretching his arm puts in her dark parchment tanned hand a coin.
She wears plain clothes from the people in the country and covers her head with a blue and black striped shawl, the one women in Michoacan use. One of her eyes is permanently covered by her eyelid, that seems to be pasted with the skin.
"It kept like that after the smallpox, when I was a child, I was about 13 years old. On that time there weren’t things like now" She told me later. The other eye is open but covered by the distinctive white cloud of cataract. She admits she can’t see clearly and I asked her if she would like to have an operation so that she can see clearly again, then she replied she has no money.
I introduce myself as a member of the Health Secretary’s Office and explain her that there’s a program set for operating cataracts, with no cost. "but we have to know before if it is cataract what you have in your eye." I told her.
On our way to the children’s hospital that we went to look for an ophthalmologist, she kept talking telling me about her life. She lives in Zinapécuaro (a municipality 40 or 50 minutes from Morelia), though she can’t determine exactly where. "Just going down from the Medical Center" She reached to tell me.
She’s got a daughter that can’t see clearly either, she always has red eyes. Her daughter had bad luck, all her sons and husband "are bad and get drunk and are always thereabouts". Her sons went to the North (USA) since the "work turned up there". One of them was injured and now he is paralyzed.
Doña Ignacia has two other children, a son and a daughter. The girl is working and the boy, the boy as his nephews, gets drunk and is thereabouts. Her husband died eight years ago. He was a policeman in Zinapécuaro, and as Doña Ignacia let me guess by her words, he wasn’t a good odd man either.
We got to the Hospital, and unluckily (it seems to be her duty), the doctor Tanganxoan has already gone. We agree then that I will make her know when the doctor will be in Zinapécuaro, or when she can come to Morelia to be tested by any ophthalmologist.
Before we farewell, we went to the "cocina economica" next to hospital. There’s only left "comida corrida": soup, and a small chicken piece in sauce, "frijoles" and rice. Doña Ignacia eats as much as a little bird and barely can finish the soup. Her hand shakes every time the spoon approaches her mouth. I suggested her to take the remaining food in a throw-away container.
I asked a taxi to bring her to the bus station, those that goes to Zinapécuaro, the one that is near the river, and I told her goodbye, I hoped she wouldn’t get lost. If only we could help her to regain the sight in her only eye !
If she doesn’t get lost, if finally a doctor says that it is cataract what she has in her eye, maybe she wants to go to Cuba to be operated on her only eye and regain the sight. We wont be able to relieve her from all her problems, not from all her pains (her knees hurts when walking, doctors say it is reuma, and that there’s nothing that can be done) but maybe we can, at least once, evade or outwit the bad luck that seems to follow this lady.
71 Kommentare zu “Schöne Smallpox Photos”
Von suertudo zu 23.01.2012
amazing.. hard to pull out the words for this classic… ..
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Von victor_nuno zu 23.01.2012
¿Por qué será que la gente más sencilla, es la más lleva a Dios dentro? Cuando dicen esas palabras, no son desapercibidas. Así las escribes, Arantxa.
Excelente retrato, y muy bien acompañado por tus palabras.
¡Saludos desde Madrid!
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Seen in my contacts’ photos. (?)
Von Santi MD zu 23.01.2012
Una imagen muy fuerte y dramatica. Su historia es muy
conmovedora.
Von cu♥re di marmo zu 23.01.2012
Your pictures are always so true to a life I can’t begin to imagine.
Von Miguel Angel Santos zu 23.01.2012
Un retrato digno de fotografiar. Una persona digna de contar la historia de Doña Ignacia, una persona a la que ahora, gracias a tí, conocemos mejor, y apreciamos más.
Von xavier . zu 23.01.2012
intense and very touching portrait
please add it in the documentary of human soul :
http://www.flickr.com/groups/documentary/
Von ~Roger~ zu 23.01.2012
Fantastic shot. Seen in Explore.
Von profanArte zu 23.01.2012
amazing!
Von SuperKarmen zu 23.01.2012
Me pusiste los pelos de punta.. increíble.
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Seen in the interestingness archives. (?)
Von KangrejoMan zu 23.01.2012
tu foto me conmovió mucho…
considerate afortunado de poder recibir bendiciones y asi mismo de poder captar con tanto acierto y buen juicio una foto como esa
felicitaciones
Von MissyV110 zu 23.01.2012
you have touched my heart
Von Ulysses• zu 23.01.2012
La Doña Zinapécuaro
Von saint magenta zu 24.01.2012
bless her heart.
Von andrelacaa zu 24.01.2012
ah caray¡¡¡ yo no la he visto y tengo un buen de años en Morelia, desde 1975 y nunca la he visto, me podrias indicar mas o menos por donde se le puede encontrar, me gustaria conocerla y saludarla. gracias de antemano, por cierto muy buena foto, que si la hubieras tomado a colores, no se veria bien, asi esta bien.
Von Chiva Congelado zu 24.01.2012
¡Qué retrato tan dramático! Una historia digna además de Semana Santa (aunque sé que tomaste antes la foto).
Von massona zu 24.01.2012
she’s beautiful.
Von Fano_Quiriego zu 24.01.2012
Què increìble retrato Arantxa.
La textura, la luz… todo.
Que Dios bendiga a Doña Nachita y a ti tambièn.
Saludos.
Es de esas fotos que uno recordarà siempre.
Von PinchePedro zu 24.01.2012
extremely sensitive foto .. tastefully executed and the dialogue is important for context
Von Vultus Christi zu 24.01.2012
Powerful, eloquent, incredibly moving. Her face is a revelation and the most potent apologia for all the suffering in the world. Among St. Augustine’s works, there is a passage wherein the Church father goes back in time to the foot of the cross and asks the good thief why, of all the scribes and lawyers and the devout, this brutal criminal alone was able to perceive the nature of his sin and acknowledge Christ as the Messiah. He replied, "I had but to look at His face. And I understood all."
Von edmenchaca zu 24.01.2012
Duele el sentimiento duele el corazon y el que algun dia en el camino la encontraremos…
Von !anaughty! zu 24.01.2012
this is really touching my heart……
Von zocalo2010 zu 24.01.2012
I have revisited this photo many times over the days. And I would say that is what great photography is all about. An image that stays in my head, my memory, even when I’m not looking at it.
Von ycualentonces zu 24.01.2012
interesante cutis, de verdad que si…me gusta el encuadre
Von Juan A. Garza Lozano (busy) zu 24.01.2012
Una imagen muy dramatica, con una explicacion muy humana,
felicidades, te mando un saludo.
Von An incomplete disaster zu 24.01.2012
Oh my…what an amazing portrait!!
Von tx77056 zu 24.01.2012
Deciding to marry a drunk caused her a very hard life. I sure hope she can get the operation for her cataracts.
Von BërN zu 24.01.2012
Sin duda alguna retrataste la escencia del sujeto. Una gran fotografia, un gran retrato.
Von ktemo_arts_mex zu 24.01.2012
Arantxa, gracias por contarnos esta dificil historia y por la foto
Von Mario Sepülveda zu 24.01.2012
Hola, soy el administrador de un grupo llamado *-México En Blanco y Negro y nos encantaría agregar tu foto al grupo.
Von kelpiet zu 24.01.2012
WOW
simplemente, una fotografía hermosa
Von lhoveh zu 24.01.2012
Very interesting portrait.
Von cap7e7 zu 24.01.2012
Gracias por compartir esta cruel realidad!!!!!! Y NOS quejamos de nuestros Problemas! Verdad !!!!!
Von jwill9311 zu 24.01.2012
captured a lot of character here
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[discovered in Dyslexic3's photophlow room] (?)
Von comuneuropeo zu 24.01.2012
Fantástico.
Von Bill Jones Jr zu 24.01.2012
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called ♀ The Woman, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
Just amazing work all around. Thank you for this.
Von tcherana zu 24.01.2012
Seen in The Woman ♀ group!
Von mslaurasaurus zu 24.01.2012
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Quite Unusual, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
Von genotypewriter zu 24.01.2012
A celebration of the ‘dukkas’ in life. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you when doing this shot.
Von arantxamex zu 24.01.2012
The real difficult thing here is her life. I haven’t seen her again.
Von Pablo (JU) zu 24.01.2012
Genial. Emocionante.
Von azraelmask zu 24.01.2012
Polvo eres y en polvo te convertiras…
Hermosa foto
Von Sebmacroaster zu 24.01.2012
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Mexico Underground, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
Von urimacroasteer zu 24.01.2012
¡En Horabuena Fotografía premiada!
México Underground (Sube y Premia)
SIgue las reglas son sencillas!
Felicidades!
Von Mr. janhe_10 zu 24.01.2012
No son necesarias las palabras. Una captura realmente impactante
¡En Horabuena Fotografía premiada!
México Underground (Sube y Premia)
SIgue las reglas son sencillas!
Felicidades!
Von toltequita zu 24.01.2012
México Underground
Te invitamos a subir ésta foto al grupo:
Mexico Underground
Sube1,Puntua 5
Von ilieattruthordare zu 24.01.2012
Thanks for making this image available through Creative Commons! Thought you’d like to know I’ve included it in my found photos project Look Away here:
http://www.joannemerriam.com/lookaway/footprints.html
Von pinedaeduardo zu 24.01.2012
Tu foto hizo despertar tanto en mi, me llenó de nostalgia, pobre de nuestros ancianos, hay que cuidarlos!!!
Von fAnyst zu 24.01.2012
Excelente
Von JUAN ANT0NI0 zu 24.01.2012
¡En Horabuena Fotografía premiada con 4.5_de 5 puntos!
México Underground (Sube y Premia)
SIgue las reglas son sencillas!
Felicidades!
Von una otra mirada zu 24.01.2012
Parabéns!!!
Linda fotografia!!!
Von Linden O Dhuthaich MhicAoidh zu 24.01.2012
bless her!
Von MoiRezu zu 24.01.2012
Excelente fotografia, llena de mucho sentimiento, Te felicito!!!
Von longhairbroad zu 24.01.2012
Your portrait captures her long suffering strength and resilience.
Von ❤technicolor☮ zu 24.01.2012
beautiful portrait
Von andychong9 zu 24.01.2012
riveting portrait and story of a exceptional lady~
Von Studio Neko zu 24.01.2012
impressive
Von LA ROSA RUSA zu 24.01.2012
alucinante…
y sobre todo ke bueno ke la hayas imortalizado y nos la hayas presentado!
Von SkyShaper zu 24.01.2012
this is a most beautiful photo
and sad
Von Ernesto GR zu 24.01.2012
Jamas vi una foto que transmitiera tanto, me ha emocionado, enhorabuena
Von EdinamA zu 24.01.2012
wow
Von Absolut Jo zu 25.01.2012
This is an incredibly moving, heart reaching photo. Thank you so much for sharing this. It is always amazing when a still life capture can evict such intense human emotion and this one certainly does.
Von Selphie2009 zu 25.01.2012
“The first wealth is health.”
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medical transcription solutions
Von αиgєℓα ριккσℓα ѕтєℓℓιиα zu 25.01.2012
OH MY GOD iTS HORRiBLE!!
Von ❤technicolor☮ zu 25.01.2012
youre horrible! this photograph is quite beautiful ! moving atrue example of humanity we seem to have forgotten
Von Deborah Stalter zu 25.01.2012
Life! She is the real beauty here!!!!!!!!! Too moving for words………..
Von miguelruizphoto zu 25.01.2012
La historia es muy interesante, pero no te hace falta contarla. Tu fotografía ya me contó la historia con sólo verla, y eso, no es facil conseguirlo. Enhorabuena por esta grandísima toma.
Von FontaineRittelmann zu 25.01.2012
Her face tells many stories.
great capture!
Von jth70 zu 25.01.2012
no necesita palabras, la imagen lo dice todo..
Von Itz-ack zu 25.01.2012
¡En Horabuena Fotografía premiada con _de 5 puntos!
México Underground (Sube y Premia)
SIgue las reglas son sencillas!
Felicidades!
Von katt robb^ zu 25.01.2012
magnificent story & photo. i admire you for taking the time to discover this woman’s story. beautiful
Von vytko1.618 zu 25.01.2012
i wish Doña Ignacia good health and happiness, very emotional picture, great shot.