Capital Crossroads: Mexico City & Madrid Sekler Travel Fund Prize

At just 3 years old, my grandmother, Isabel Ortiz, was separated from her family and placed on a boat to escape the Spanish Civil War, becoming one of the 457 “Niños de Morelia.” As one of the youngest aboard the Mexique, she was separated from her sisters and placed in a Mexican orphanage—the beginning of a lifelong story of grit, adversity, and resilience.

In Summer 2024, as the first recipient of the $6000 Sekler Student Travel Fund for the Visual Arts Prize, awarded by Harvard’s Council on the Arts, I traveled to Mexico City and Madrid to explore my family’s cultural roots in these capitals. I immersed myself in local traditions, capturing food, religion, dance, and song through paintings and photographs to retrace and reconnect with my heritage. Through this series of paintings, I honor the echoes of my family’s past, celebrating both the pain and the enduring spirit that continue to shape our cultural identity.

***Several pieces are active works in progress