“A State of Grace” – The Photographs of Tony Gleaton and Afro-Mexico in the 20th Century

African American photographer Tony Gleaton arrived in Mexico in 1986 with a small bag containing a medium-format camera, a single lens, and a few rolls of Tri-X film. It is the beginning of a hero’s journey where he attends to the “Call to Adventure” and receives what might be considered supernatural aid. Sometimes with only $5 in his pocket, his self-funded tours through Mexico were often supported by the charity of a local village church to house him for a few nights. The priest would then make introductions on behalf of their northern visitor and Gleaton’s friendships with locals along the journey flourished. Fascinated by the history and invisibility of the African Diaspora in Mexico, Gleaton’s revelations on film inspired subsequent journeys over decades. Regarding his arrival in Mexico, he states, "When I got there...I thought it was interesting that the early presence of blacks in the Americas was rarely discussed and largely undocumented." His intimate portrait style eschewed a documentary scopophilia and embraced the common elements of humanity. However, he was not the first photographer to picture Afro-Mexicans in their work. This study includes photographers working during the Mexican Revolution (c. 1910-1920) through the end of the 20^th century. What does the visual archive as documented in photography reveal regarding Afro-Mexicans in the 20^th century? Gleaton referred to his work as “abstractions from daily life.” I consider how these photographic abstractions exist distinctly and in concert during the 20^th century alongside other photographs of Afro-Mexicans.