Los Hornos

A few days past Josh and I headed out to a place called Los Hornos or The Ovens, which is on the outskirts of Guadalajara. Josh has been working at this location for the past few months taking photos and subsequently getting to know the people who live in this community. I went along with him so that I could meet some of the people in his photos. I am also beginning a website design for an organization called Tracsa, which is providing funding for education and meals for the children of this community.
I will only use a few of Josh's thousands of photos (thank you Josh) to show a little of what this place is like, and will try and explain further about Los Hornos.

The people who are living in this community are very poor; the poorest that we have seen in México, and their livelihood is brick-making (the name of the community reflects the kilns that are used to "cook" bricks). Large families are squeezed into the tiniest of one-room homes, which are made from bricks and scrap metal. They do not own the land that they live upon, and do not have electricity or running water. It is hot and dusty at Los Hornos, with few trees and little to no vegetation surrounding people's homes. The sun is strong, and the heat seems intensified by the numerous kilns heating bricks.

The main family that Josh is focusing on is led by Rosa, who is featured in the photo below with two of her four daughters and some of her grandchildren. Behind her is their kiln.

The women make bricks every day, and for every 1000 made they receive roughly $20.

There are sad stories abound at Los Hornos, such as that of Luis, who has been living on his own since he was 11. He is now 15 and is attending the Tracsa school in the afternoons.

Rosa's mother-in-law (whom I did not meet) lives in the community as well and has been taking care of other children who have lost their parents. One of these children is now a grown man who has mental disabilities; he spends his days with his ankle tied to a bed.

I am running out of ways to express how discouraging it is to see so many people making just enough money to hang on. All of the people I met were kind and happy- even seemingly proud of the work that they are doing. They definitely did not seem to be wallowing in self-pity. But I am sure that they would gladly welcome an escape from the hard lives that they lead.