Now Reading: Faculty Books
A new book by photography professor Geoff Winningham tracks his journeys through Mexico to document Day of the Dead celebrations.
A Trail of Marvels/Sendero de Maravillas:
A Memoir of Mexico and Days of the Dead
Geoff Winningham ’65 | Dancer Press, 2022
Geoff Winningham, a professor of photography and the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Humanities at Rice, first traveled to Mexico with his father in 1965, but credits his subsequent trips and exposure to Mexican culture to his newfound understanding of both the country and “life itself.”
In his new book, “A Trail of Marvels,” Winningham documents several steps along the path, including his trip to explore Mexico in 1983, and his decades spent documenting Day of the Dead celebrations in different regions (including Michoacán, Puebla and Oaxaca) and, of course, stories about the people he met along the way. Through evocative images of colorful festivities, markets, graveyards, flowers, dances and food, Winningham reflects on the sacred rituals and beliefs of those who welcome the spirits of loved ones to return home.
Winningham opens the book with an anecdote about a student who explained that the Spanish word for marigold, “maravilla,” is the same word for miracle or marvel. “‘Un sendero de maravillas’ is what you are sharing, both literally and figuratively,” he recalls the student saying. “A Trail of Marvels. Sendero de Maravillas. Pick your language, but that should be your title.”
— Mabel Tang ’23
