Lisette Morales Captures a Living Tradition

When photojournalist Lisette Morales first witnessed a vibrant cultural performance by the Danza Azteca Guadalupana, she thought it was beautiful, calling it a “sight to be seen.” The devotion she saw in a ceremonial dance, summoning the energies of both heaven and earth, prompted her to document the syncretic tradition, practiced by the locally based Navarro family. “I wanted to learn more, so I followed them for over a year,” she explains.

The Navarro family gathers their community of more than 50 dancers, all in handmade costumes, to perform traditional ceremonial dances dedicated to preserving the family’s heritage, presenting them each year—through Día de los Muertos, Thanksgiving, and Three Kings Day—at local churches and homes.

Morales, whose visual narratives throughout the years have highlighted indigenous and Latin American communities, will exhibit 34 photographs of the local group (formed 25 years ago by Guadalupe Navarro) in an exhibition—“Aztec Dancers: A Living Tradition”—at the Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch to January 31.

Morales was especially heartened to see how the tradition is involving the local youth. “They are learning about their faith, their culture, and who they are,” she notes. Her images, which honor the spiritual power, cultural resilience, and collective joy of indigenous communities, will help sustain the practice across generations and geographies. 

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