Oaxaca, the love of the people, and my family inspired my piece. As a first-generation Mexican-American, I wanted to paint Oaxaca, the amazing state my mom was born in, specifically a little town called San Juan Guegoyachi. Although I’ve never been there, hearing all the stories my mom told me and my siblings and growing up with the culture has always been a really big part of who I am and my identity. I have always been in love with the art, architecture, and handicrafts. I knew that I wanted my piece to represent the immense beauty of Oaxaca and everything it has to offer. I also wanted to represent the indigenous people who are usually misrepresented. I decided to add the traditional clothing on the couple from my piece and especially add the braids and ribbons to the woman’s hair. That is a very essential hairstyle that I grew up seeing especially among the older ladies.