On February 2 2020, Oaxaca Mexico celebrates Día de la Candelária, or Candlemas. A holiday that commemorates Mary's visit to the temple in Jerusalem, with Jesus, 40 days after his birth. Catholics in Mexico dress up statues and dolls of Baby Jesus and bring them to their local church to be blessed.
All day I saw women and men of all ages walking about, promenading with their Baby Jesus dolls as if they were actual babies. There were markets where you could buy what I irreverently referred to as Baby Jesus Bling. (Yes. I am going to hell.)
I felt it too forward, too intimate to directly photograph these people, and maybe disrespectful if I did not have some sort of relationship established with them to assure them I did honor their tradition.
These were lined up beneath a shrine at a little mercado and the folks gave me permission to photograph them there.