They must be good stories if people keep telling them.

Casa Na Bolom, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, Spring 2020.

My brother, who died of aids about 15 years ago, spent his winters here in the nineties and early 2000’s. When he came down here, he took a lot of pictures that were quite stunning.

I donated all of my brothers negatives. He had a suitcase full of negatives and prints of his photos. I volunteered to catalogue some of my bothers photographs, and I delivered a disc that had a website on it. He built a website about the Lacandon… I don’t know wether we’re gonna get that up and running or not. They may be too old to be revised.

“The younger guy in the picture, his name is Chan K’in Cuarto, he was here recently. He developed tuberculosis, and came to get medical help from Na Bolom. And see the baby in this picture? That baby in the picture is now a 25 year old young man. He’s Chan K’in Cuarto’s son.”

When I came down here in the fall, I decided to bring some of his ashes down. I was in the jungle with the Lacandon to help spread his ashes and find a nice spot for him. It’s not really so much closure.

“In this photograph they’re making Balché which is some sort of alcoholic drink that they use when they burn incense at ceremonies. I think the drink might have some slight hallucinogenic qualities.”

My brother lived a really large life. He was a performance artist, he was a gay activist, and he did his work down here. Fifteen years after he died people are still telling stories about him and I figured.. they must be good stories if people keep telling them. So I’m writing them down. I am writing a book about the whole experience.

It’s going to be down here with my brothers’ ashes. I’m also writing about other parts of his life, but I would say a third of the book is taking place here.