YOLOTLI

Still, We
Still, we care.
Still, we gather.
Still, we love.
Still, we act.

While living and working in Mexico City for several years, I fell in love with the tradition of milagros. Milagros, which translates to “miracles,” are small devotional charms carrying hope, gratitude, prayer, or protection. They are handmade by local artisans in different materials and can be found in many places. I often encountered them in sacred spaces such as churches and pilgrimage sites, at artisan markets and pueblos mágicos, in restaurants, in the homes of friends, and even in local peseros and taxis.

My new storefront installation at was inspired by these small, powerful charms and the hope they offer. I handcrafted a collection of oversized milagros, individually cutting and shaping tin foil into each piece. The collage centers on a flaming heart encircled by five large roses, with swallows in flight above and around it.

The heart symbolizes devotion and courage; the roses speak to love, beauty, and resilience; and the swallow, a migratory bird, represents freedom, loyalty, stability, and enduring connection. Here, the birds carry a banner and a small heart toward the central flame, as if delivering a collective intention.

The banner bears words like peace, freedom, dignity, mercy, compassion, solidarity, agency, harmony, kinship, and community — offerings in themselves that encourage us to return to the basics of human connection.

This piece could not have found a better home than , a space deeply rooted in community and care. As I try to make sense of the pain and suffering currently unfolding within our communities, this work has become my personal gesture of quiet resistance. It is offered in the hope of a small miracle and as a reminder that even small acts can matter.

STUDIO NEWS \\ SASHIKO workshop at Juniper Station - https://mailchi.mp/296637216c72/yolotli_studio_news-9429480

Studio News \\ New Work + Winter Markets - https://mailchi.mp/28151cdd517b/yolotli_studio_news

YOLOTLI A Letter From the Heart \\ What's New - https://mailchi.mp/e06cad047e0c/yolotlinapamakes2019-9335520