El Viaje de las Ánimas

“The Journey of the Soils”

I. The Origin of Sleep (February 2018)

It all started with a dream that felt like something out of a fairy tale.

I imagined a lake covered in marigold flowers floating on the water, with small lit candles gently illuminating the scene. In the center, a majestic Catrina appeared on a trajinera, dressed in golden petals that shimmered as if they had a light of their own. It wasn’t just a beautiful idea… it was something I felt I had to make real.

From that moment, I knew that one day I would create it. But I also understood that it wouldn’t be easy. I needed time, money, and most of all, people who could help me bring it to life just as I had imagined.

So I kept it. I held it in silence for four years.

In the meantime, I began to immerse myself in the world of Catrinas. I discovered different styles, met artists and hands full of talent. Little by little, I surrounded myself with people who, like me, loved the details and the magic behind every creation. Each step, each encounter, brought me a little closer to that dream that continued to beat in my mind.

II. Planning and Equipment (2018–2022)

Ever since I dreamed of The Journey of the Souls, I knew it wouldn’t be something simple. This project required time, planning, saving, and above all, a lot of patience to gather the ideal team. I didn’t want to do it halfway. I wanted to do it right. And for that, I needed to surround myself with people who felt the same way I did: love for our traditions, respect for the details, and passion for telling stories that touch the heart.

Over the years, I found the perfect companions: creatives, designers, photographers, and artisans who resonated on the same frequency. Talented people, but also soulful ones, who understood what I wanted to achieve from the very beginning.

One of the first important decisions was to rethink the original dream. At first, I imagined a lake completely covered with floating marigold flowers, with lit candles turning it into a living altar. It was beautiful… but also very difficult to achieve. Ever since I dreamed of The Journey of the Souls, I knew it wouldn’t be something simple. This project required time, planning, saving, and above all, a lot of patience to gather the ideal team. I didn’t want to do it halfway. I wanted to do it right. And for that, I needed to surround myself with people who felt the same way I did: love for our traditions, respect for the details, and passion for telling stories that touch the heart.

Over the years, I found the perfect companions: creatives, designers, photographers, and artisans who resonated on the same frequency. Talented people, but also soulful ones, who understood what I wanted to achieve from the very beginning.

One of the first important decisions was to rethink the original dream. At first, I imagined a lake completely covered with floating marigold flowers, with lit candles turning it into a living altar. It was beautiful… but also very difficult to achieve.

The heart of the project: the flowers of cempasúchil

With the design underway and the technical team ready, the time came to find the most important element: the flowers. They couldn’t be just any marigolds. We needed authentic, fresh flowers—flowers with a story. Someone who understood what they meant to us.

It was thanks to Juan Pablo Puente @_foxdie, a friend and photographer, that we found the right person. He introduced us to Víctor González, a flower grower he had met during a very special moment: September 19, 2017, the day of the earthquake in Mexico City. That day, they met while helping others. And years later, that connection turned into a new alliance.

Months before production, we went to see Víctor. We told him all about the project and asked him to be part of it. He didn’t hesitate for a second. He was moved, said yes immediately… and not only sold us the flowers—he personally delivered them to the Cuemanco dock on the day of the shoot.

That gesture was much more than a delivery. It was the perfect ending to something built with love, with Mexican hands, with respect for our roots. Because this project isn’t just about art. It’s about memory, collaboration, and a living tradition that continues to bloom.

The perfect allies: DJI Mexico and the air team

On October 16, 2022, we had a key meeting with DJI Mexico. That day, we sat down to plan what would become one of the most important parts of the project: how to capture the essence of The Journey of the Souls from the sky. We knew that achieving this would take more than just drones—we needed a team with sensitivity, technical skill, and commitment.

During that meeting, the entire flight team began to take shape. Roles, tools, and potential collaboration dates were defined. Just a few days later, on October 20, we already had another DJI collaboration lined up—one that wasn’t directly part of The Journey of the Souls—but that same day, the idea came up:

What if we also teamed up for October 26, the key day of filming?

The possibility was left on the table… and it started to take shape.

Soon after, on October 24, it was officially confirmed that Carlos Silva (@camezi) would also be joining the project as part of the visual team. His sensitivity brought value to specific shots, complementing the story with his cinematic touch.

On the day of the shoot, the skies were in the hands of a spectacular team:

Niveck Britto (@niveckbritto) operated the FPV drone, capturing dynamic and immersive shots that felt like a butterfly flying through fields of marigolds.

@maarcosky handled the wide aerial drone shots, capturing the vastness of the landscape, the trajineras, and the magical atmosphere that wrapped around every scene.

The Guardians of the Underworld: Caifan and Catrina

You can’t talk about The Journey of the Souls without mentioning two sacred presences that accompanied us on this journey: Caifan (@caifan.xolotl) and Catrina (@catrina.xolotl), two Xoloitzcuintles who, beyond being part of the production, embodied the ancestral soul of our Mexico.

Xolos, considered spiritual guides in the Mexica worldview, were believed to accompany souls on their journey to Mictlán. Their presence in this project was not just a detail—it was a symbolic and deeply spiritual act.

From the beginning, we hoped that Caifan and Catrina would appear together beside our models on the trajinera, but we knew that dogs—no matter how special—have their own rhythms and personalities.
Neither of them was used to being on a canoe, and that made things a bit more challenging, especially for Catrina, who seemed somewhat restless with the movement of the water and the unfamiliar environment.

Caifan, on the other hand, had some prior experience, as he had worked with us on a previous campaign alongside Río Roma. While his participation also came with its own set of challenges, we managed to capture beautiful images of him alongside our main characters—images that have since become iconic emblems of this visual and spiritual journey.

Beyond the photos, what they brought was presence, symbolism, soul.

Thanks to the support of DJI Mexico and the dedication of every member of the aerial team, we were able to give the project a whole new dimension. From the sky, The Journey of the Souls came to life with a visual power that could only be achieved through talent, technology, and a deep respect for what we were creating.

III. The Headpiece – An Artisanal Work (2021–2022)

The headpiece began to take shape a year before the big day. The first idea was to create a rainbow made from hand-dyed corn husks. But we soon realized that the artisanal process—soaking, drying, dyeing—was leading us down a different path. One that was deeper. More personal. More ours.

The final inspiration came from our roots: Moctezuma’s headdress. We wanted more than just an accessory. We were looking for a piece that spoke of history, heritage, and strength. A crown that was light, majestic, but filled with meaning.

That’s when my mother became a fundamental part of the process. Together, over more than five months, we worked on each color, each flower. Hand in hand, we brought to life the tones that decorate the front of the headpiece, building it flower by flower, with patience and a lot of love.

The result was a unique piece, full of detail and symbolism. A tribute to our roots, to our women, to our hands.
Final weight: 598 grams of history, art, and heart.

IV. The Dress – Cempasúchil Natural Flower (July-October 2022)

The creation of the dress began in mid-July 2022, with a clear challenge in mind: to construct a piece that could support natural marigold flowers without losing its shape or elegance.

Ana Gia (@anagiamx), with her talent and sensitivity, designed a structure that was not only functional but also visually powerful. Each flower was placed one by one, by hand, with the intention of letting the dress breathe life. To give it texture. To make it feel organic, vibrant, in motion.

The idea was clear: the dress shouldn’t feel like a separate element, but rather an extension of the trajinera. The Catrina shouldn’t just be on the water… she should appear to rise from it, as if the flowers themselves had created her.

The result was more than just a costume—it was a perfect fusion of body, art, and nature. A living piece, both fleeting and eternal at the same time.

October 26, 2022
1:00 AM – Xochimilco, Mexico City – 46°F

V. The Shooting – The Production (October 26, 2022)

The early morning fell over the canals of Xochimilco beneath a soft mist. The cold cut to the bone, the air was humid and heavy, and the silence was broken only by the gentle creaking of water, moving slowly between the trajineras. The city was asleep. We were not.

At that hour, the first team arrived at the dock with a clear mission: to begin building a dream that had been years in the making. The dress, the trajinera, the flowers… everything needed to come together with precision, care, and deep respect for every detail.

Alongside Ana Gia, a passionate team began to bring the magic to life:

@richpolenbeat, in charge of organizing and transporting the crew, made sure everything and everyone arrived on time.
@punkotopia, @caminante_04, @vica.pl, @ingrith.s, and @kateryn.rd worked on the floral design and supported production. Each one contributed creativity, agile hands, and a vital artistic eye.
@_foxdie, filmmaker, was behind the camera capturing the behind-the-scenes moments—every bit of effort, setup, and raw emotion.

The trajineras were provided by @trajineras_tiocalles, who believed in the vision from the very beginning and supported us wholeheartedly. Thanks to them, we sailed for over 11 hours through a Xochimilco transformed into a floating altar.

Each flower was placed by hand. Each petal had a purpose.
The Catrina began to take shape while the moon still hung in the sky. And when the first rays of sunlight touched the water, the stage was ready. It was as if time had stopped to allow that moment to happen.

While all of that was unfolding in Xochimilco, another vital part of the project was taking place at the same time, miles away from the water.

2:00 AM – Condesa, Mexico City

https://www.instagram.com/sanchez_sergio24/In a makeup studio, the second team was beginning its own ritual of transformation. Everything was timed to the minute; every move had its moment. The goal: to make the magic happen at dawn—flawlessly.

The models who would bring this story to life traveled from different parts of Mexico:

The models who would bring this story to life traveled from different parts of Mexico:

@sanchez_sergio24, a model based in Guadalajara, flew in that very night straight to the studio. No stops. No rest. He arrived ready to become a character.
@mhyabornacelly, our central Catrina, traveled from Oaxaca the day before, determined to be part of this visual tribute to life and death.

Makeup was a crucial part of the transformation:

@karla_artista_visual (Karla Jiménez) was in charge of bringing the charro to life. Her work was precise, powerful, and elegant. A refined job, full of character.

I, @alesuart (Alejandro Su), as the director of the project, was in charge of Mhya’s makeup, as well as the creation and assembly of the handmade headpiece—that symbolic piece that had been waiting months for its moment to shine.

A key figure in all of this was my mentor and the director of @xpertmakeup_cursos, who opened the doors of her studio to us without hesitation. Her trust was an invaluable gift. Thanks to her, we had a professional, peaceful space full of inspiration—just what we needed to work with the focus and calm this project demanded.

As the makeup took shape, @gus.mejia.arte, visual artist, documented every gesture. His camera didn’t just capture images—it captured emotion. Everything you can’t see in the final photo, but that lives in the soul of the project, was preserved in his behind-the-scenes shots.

Although this second team wasn’t at the lake, they were just as essential. Because while some built the floating altar, others were shaping the soul that would inhabit it.

And when both worlds finally met… the journey began.

5:00 AM – On the Road to Cuemanco

At five in the morning, the city was still asleep… but we were not.
A private van arrived right on time to pick us up and take us to the Cuemanco dock. The ride was quiet, with the exhaustion of a sleepless night mixing with an emotion that’s hard to describe. We knew we were about to experience something big.

By 5:30 AM, we arrived at the dock. The air was cold, darkness still cloaked everything, and the atmosphere was charged with that special kind of energy you only feel before something important.

From there, we set out toward the final location—the place where we would capture the sunrise we had dreamed about for years. We carried not just costumes, cameras, set pieces, flowers, and tech gear… we carried the soul of the project. And each of us, in our role, gave our all—body and heart—so that nothing would go wrong.

Due to the scale of the production, we rented three trajineras for over 11 hours. It was total teamwork. Side by side, we loaded, assembled, organized, and protected each element as if it were sacred.

At 6:30 AM, we began our journey to the exact point of the shoot.
The sky was still black, and in the middle of that darkness, our Catrina was already ready. She floated majestically on the lake, surrounded by hundreds of cempasúchil flowers. Seeing her perched in silence was like witnessing a living altar gliding across the water.

The trajineras moved slowly.
Each paddle stroke seemed to push not just the physical weight of the project, but also the years of waiting, of planning, of dreams held close.

The scent of flowers filled everything.
The mist was thick, like something out of a storybook, and in the middle of that heavy fog, the intervened trajinera looked like a golden beacon, lighting the way toward eternity. The Catrina wasn’t sailing—she seemed to float between worlds.

And then… it started happening.
The sky began to change.

The first rays of sunlight broke the darkness with an almost magical softness.
The clouds, which days before had threatened rain, dissolved as if the universe itself were offering us a gift. Warm colors began to paint the water: oranges, violets, blues, yellows… a perfect palette, a sky that felt designed just for us.

Until that moment, we didn’t know if we’d get a clear sunrise.
We’d checked forecasts, doubted, crossed our fingers. But what happened surpassed everything. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever witnessed in my life.

And it wasn’t just that.
It was a response.
A sacred moment.
A whisper from the universe that seemed to say:

“You did it.”

VI. The Launch (October 30, 2022)

After years of dreaming, months of intense work, and one unforgettable dawn in Xochimilco, El Viaje de las Ánimas finally came to light on October 30, 2022.

That day, social media became the channel through which we shared with the world what, until then, had only lived in our memories and hearts.
It was through the Instagram account of photographer @eloscardz that we first revealed this vision brought to life: a living Catrina, sailing among flowers, dressed in art, tradition, and magic.

The impact was immediate.

Thousands of people began to share the images. Messages poured in from everywhere—people moved, grateful, emotional.
The project was no longer just ours.
Now it belonged to everyone who felt a connection to its essence.

Final Reflection – What This Journey Left in My Soul

El Viaje de las Ánimas

was not just a visual production. It was an act of love, an offering to memory, to our roots, and to those who are no longer with us.

Behind every image are Mexican hands, laughter, tears, and sleepless nights. It was a long, human, and deeply transformative process.
More than a photograph, this project is a symbol—of what is ours, of what cannot be seen but can be felt, of what is honored with the soul.

Today, I understand that when talent is joined with heart, an initial vision can grow into something far greater than we ever imagined.

And I also learned the importance of protecting what we create, of recognizing the value of collaboration, and of respecting every creative process.

Thank you to those who have shared it with respect and emotion.
Thank you for seeing beyond aesthetics.
Thank you for feeling this journey with me.

—Ale Su Art—