Our mission is to document, preserve, celebrate, and amplify culture and ancestral ways of knowing. As culture keepers and protectors, we acknowledge that learning is healing and transformative, that language is medicine. In an era of unprecedented alienation and planetary crisis, we honor cultures and knowledge(s) emerging from the Global South that trailblaze new landscapes for humanity. Culture is power, and it’s our mission to keep, protect, and teach that power to future generations.

Featured Projects

Chicana Rasquache Films

Rooted in a formula of change, resourcefulness, and imperfection, Chicana Rasquache produces experimental films that seek to make academic content accessible to a broader audience. This project centers on a community-engaged approach to documenting social movements, ancestral knowledge(s), and emerging critical perspectives on the world. The production team is developing an ambitious four-part documentary exploring Maya dialectics across transnational settings, focusing on the sovereignty, language, resistance, and self-determination of Indigenous and de-tribalized people in Guatemala and California.

Timeless Photography

A work spanning ten years of street photography, capturing social movements, activism, ceremonial practices, special events, mural art, natural landscapes, and everyday life. Our style differs from glamour shots and traditional studio photography; we focus on an organic approach that emphasizes capturing flow, rhythm, and moments with a timeless aesthetic.

Memories & Recuerdos

A family oral tradition preservation project to document and celebrate intergenerational wisdom. Unfortunately, in modern times, we have forgotten the value of our ancestors' knowledge because of the colonial destruction of extended family ties and the social devaluation of aging. Our elders pass away, and often a wealth of culture, experiences, and legacy disappears with them. Imagine hearing the voices of your great-great-grandparents as they reflect on their lives. What would their words mean to you? To the generations to come? This project interviews family elders through a photovoice technique to recollect their thoughts and experiences in audiovisual format. Family members are also invited to attend the gathering to join a casual photography session.

The Dialogues of Knowledge

Emerging from Maya oral tradition, the Dialogues of Knowledge are sacred talking circles with simple yet specific protocols that create space for genuine communication in an accessible and replicable format. This project follows the work of Maya Kaqchikel scholar, Dr. B’eleje’ Kan, and Chicano educator, Dr. Mateos-Campos, exploring the pedagogical and methodological aspects of Maya Kosmovision. The dialogues offer valuable insights into new forms of unity and organization, ideal for student groups, collectives, and community civic engagement. Developed with support from the Latinx Research Center and the Global Democracy Commons at UC Berkeley, it features courses, workshops, conference presentations, public lectures, and art installations.

Yagesero Sound

Our expertise in digital humanities led us to document extensive cultural practices and social movements of resistance throughout Latin America. This digital archive contains over 100 original recordings of ceremonial music collected throughout Colombia, Mexico, and the United States, and has been compiled into a free online archive called Yagesero Sound, freely accessible on SoundCloud.

Culture Protectors