14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Fading light of the Maya

An elderly Mayan woman looks out the window of her home atop a hill in a remote Guatemalan village. For generations, her family has carried on the proud tradition of her people, tending to the animals and cultivating the land. Now, the house is all but empty as most have left for a better life in the city. As she looks through the window, I catch her reflection in the amber glass. In her face, I read the story of years in the unforgiving sun, working to secure the future her children and grandchildren, a future that she now spends quietly staring into the fading light of a darkened room.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2016
Date Uploaded: 06.2016
Photo Location: Guatemala
Camera: DSC-RX100M4
Copyright: © Omar Alderete