Photographer Alexa LexMex Treviño rides her Vespa through the vibrant streets of San Francisco's Mission District, capturing the essence of the neighborhood's Latin American culture through her lens. Her latest project, "Existir es Resistir / To Exist is to Resist," showcases powerful portraits of community members wearing traditional clothing from their ancestral countries, celebrating the diversity and resilience of the local Latino diaspora.
Completed during her RAÍCES Fellowship with local nonprofit Accion Latina, which supports Latinx artists in San Francisco, Treviño's photographic series documents individuals and groups representing the 33 countries, territories, and occupied lands that make up Latin America. The project emerged from what she describes as "a deep need to show my community through a lens of power and pride," shifting focus away from struggle and toward strength and beauty.
"Too often, we're only seen through our pain or struggle," Treviño explains. "I wanted to shift the focus to our strength, our beauty, and the radical act of simply being ourselves, especially in a time when our community doesn't always feel safe just existing in public spaces." Her photographs feature subjects like Diana Olivares and Aura Barva representing Colombia, Lana Patel Garçon representing Trinidad, and Diana Aburto with Sloth representing Nicaragua.
The Mission District serves as both backdrop and inspiration for the project, with Treviño describing the neighborhood as a place that "breathes ceremony." She points to the area's rich cultural tapestry, from the smell of copal from danzantes blessing the streets to protests led by Brazilian batucada rhythms. The photographer emphasizes how the neighborhood's character is shaped by migration, visible in details like bougainvillea tangled with palm trees, wrought iron on colorfully painted Victorian houses, and corner mercaditos selling fruits from different homelands.
"The Mission is where I found my voice, and I carry that with me in every photo I take," Treviño reflects. "If it weren't for the Mission, I wouldn't be the photographer I am today." She has documented the community through Carnaval celebrations, protests, tragedies, joys, and quiet moments in between, developing a deep connection to the neighborhood's rhythms and spirit.
Treviño's favorite photograph from the series features Susana Arenas Pedroso, a master of Cuban dance, and her student Skarlet Irigoyen Pérez representing Cuba. The shoot began on Lucky Street and 24th Street, near the former location of El Nuevo Frutilandia, a now-closed Cuban restaurant with an iconic tropical pink wall. As the two dancers performed for Yemayá, the water goddess considered the mother of all things in Cuban Santeria, Treviño realized the concrete background didn't capture the sacred energy of the moment.
Moving deeper into an alleyway, they discovered a house completely covered in vines and flowers, creating what felt like "a floral offering in the middle of the concrete jungle." With Susana framed by greenery and a small wooden door, everything aligned perfectly. An elderly woman emerged from her home to watch, telling them that the dancing had brought joy to her day. The magical moment extended when Treviño's 3-year-old niece met the dancers, later refusing to sleep until she received a goodnight from "the mermaid queen."
The project revealed new aspects of the familiar neighborhood to Treviño, who admits she had walked these streets countless times before but learned to see them with fresh intention. "I started noticing things I hadn't before, especially when chasing the golden hour light," she says. Community support became evident during shoots, with Pops Bar providing drinks "for the arts" during Puerto Rico's session while Batey Tambó played drums as Julia Caridad Cepeda danced in the street, creating an unforgettable Mission moment.
Subjects' reactions to seeing themselves honored in the portraits have been deeply emotional. At the exhibit opening, Treviño witnessed people tear up as they saw themselves "seen, honored, held in light" on the walls. She broke down herself while explaining the personal significance of documenting community members living in fear and feeling targeted. The project reinforced her understanding of Latin America's beautiful diversity across different countries, languages, traditions, music, and food, all unified by "the same beating heart."
"More than anything, I hope folks see themselves in this work," Treviño states. "That they feel held, remembered, and celebrated." Her portraits include families like Lonko Juanita Millal representing Occupied Mapuche Territory, Venezuelan representatives Angelica Patricia Mendoza Serrano, Juliana Mendonaca, and Andreina Maldonado, and sisters Genevieve and Giselle Leighton-Armah from Dominica, among many others showcasing the neighborhood's rich cultural tapestry.
The closing reception for "Existir es Resistir / To Exist is to Resist" takes place Friday, October 17, from 6-9 pm at Accion Latina, located at 2958 24th Street in the Mission District. The exhibition serves as Treviño's tribute to the people and neighborhood that shaped her as both a person and an artist, celebrating the radical act of cultural existence and resistance through visual storytelling.
