Twenty Five Hundred and One

Teococuilco, birthplace of Oaxacan artist Alejandro Santiago, is a pueblo of grandparents and children. Like countless villages across the globe, working age men and women have been forced to leave in search of jobs. "Twenty Five Hundred & One," chronicles Alejandro's passion to create a legacy for those who are gone. For 6 years, he sculpted his life-size ceramic Migrantes. These "lost souls" speak to issues we must confront.

"It is something that will have a great impact."

Francisco Toledo

2501 Migrantes

Monterrery, Mexio

"At first, Santiago said the idea to make 2,500 statues stood for the approximate number of crosses he saw on a fence while attempting to cross the border — one for every person who had died trying. Later he said the number was inspired by the mass emigration of his townspeople.

The 2,501st figure symbolized that there is always one more person who is willing to risk his life in the hope of finding a better one. He also said the extra sculpture represented his own immigration story.

The complete collection was exhibited in 2007 at the Universal Forum of Cultures in the northern Mexico city of Monterrey."

- Valerie J. Nelson (LA Times)