A Family Art — Sofie Hecht

3 year old Logan threatens to hit his father with a play bat while his mother Marlen enjoys a moment of rest with her 2-month old daugher.

Hermenegilda prepares lunch for her family while 3 year old Merliza plays with her younger cousin and great-grandmother Agustina looks on at the scene.

Agustina Marcos tells a story while her daughter and craftswoman Hermenegilda Ascenio Marcos looks at her food under the window light in the background.

Jael looks at the camera while his mother speaks to his father on the phone one evening during dinner.

Logan excitedly greets his father as he returns from a day of work.

Marlen celebrates her 27th birthday as her family cheers for her to put her face into her cake.

Josefina relaxes while her son and nephew entertain themselves with music videos on a laptop.

3 year old Jael dances in front of the TV and looks over at his grandfather Juan who is varnishing the bowls he has recently handpainted.

As grandmother Augustina prepares to sleep on a mattress in the living room, her granddaughter massages her arm.

The Mendoza family lives in a small apartment near one of Mexico City's open markets where they sell the bowls and crafts they make every day. Four generations live in this one house, where the oldest member is great-grandmother Agustina Marcos and the youngest is 2-month old Natalia. Their indigenous background pervades many facets of daily life from the Nahuatl spoken around the house by the family's eldest 3 generations to the intricate designs on the art they paint. The clay they paint on comes from a small town in the state of Guerrero from which the family migrated to make more money in the city. Guerrero is known to be one of the most dangerous places in Mexico, though the Mendozas describe their hometown with blissful nostalgia for the beautiful landscapes and folkloric traditions common to the place. This photo essay is a portrait of Mendoza family life.