Coyote Tales No. 1

Cara Romero explores present-day indigenous identity as it intersects with ancestral lore, personal experience, and pop subcultures. For this work, Romero posed friends in a contemporary scenario featuring Coyote, the celebrated trickster of Chemehuevi lore. Romero stages her scene outside “Saints and Sinners,” an iconic drinking establishment in Española, New Mexico. 

“Coyote” stands between two women with his back to the viewer, holding a bouquet of red roses.  The women look directly into the camera with forthright, even defiant, expressions. Though the narrative is open-ended, Romero invokes Coyote’s presence to suggest the likelihood of questionable behavior, leading to fateful decisions.