La Vacuna (The Vaccine)
A candle wick is replaced with a syringe needle on a traditional "veladora" (votive candle). These popular religious and mystical candles are often used in several Latin American countries as an amulet and expression of hope. The label on the candle shows the figure of a victorious popular Mexican wrestler "luchador", who is encouraging people to trust and get a vaccine. The words below him read: "Al que se vacuna, Dios le ayuda" – A common saying in Mexico adapted to suggest that there is hope, and God will help those who get a vaccine.
Part of Lotería –"La Suerte Que Habla" (Luck Talks) series of cards inspired on the popular Mexican bingo game of Lotería– played with a deck of cards instead of numbers. A “copla” (riddle) accompanies every card and is recounted while playing the game.
Images by Mexican-American artist Patricia Espinosa and coplas (riddles) by Mexican-Canadian writer Martha Bátiz.