Premio Nacional Javier Ramírez Limón

Mezcala Island, located in Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, was founded in 1280 and contains pre-Columbian traces. Between 1812 and 1816, many battles were fought there during Mexico’s War of Independence. On the island stands the Presidio, the only military architecture in Jalisco. A large percentage of Mezcala Island is covered by *Melinis repens*, an invasive species in Mexico and the Americas. Native to Africa, Melinis repens was introduced to the continent in 1875, initially in Florida as an ornamental grass. Now, this species has invaded nearly the entire American continent. Melinis repens grows in dense clusters that compete with native vegetation, disrupt successional processes, alter nutrient regimes, and increase the intensity and frequency of fires, negatively affecting native flora and fauna.

Just as the plant invades the island, in this series, with the intention of highlighting the patina of architectural structures and showing the passage of time, Melinis repens is also introduced into the photography. Blurred, the plant invades the image as a subtle gesture that obscures the clarity of the patina.