Marisol and the American Dream: One Photographer’s 15-Year Project

3 minute read

Janet Jarman discovered Marisol, the young woman she has been photographing for more than 15 years, by chance. While working toward her Master’s degree in environmental studies, Jarman took a research trip to Mexico in August 1996. There, activist nuns brought her to a municipal dump in Matamoros, located along the U.S.-Mexico border. Amid the smoke, fires and sewage, Jarman noticed Marisol, then 8 years old, looking for recyclable items to sell with her family, who had dreams of moving to America. “Let the woman take your picture,” Marisol’s mother said. “You might be famous one day.”

They were prescient words, indeed. Jarman’s photograph of Marisol in the dump has received several industry awards and has been published by various publications and non-governmental organizations around the world. Earlier this year, the photographer even discovered that the portrait had appeared in the campaign materials of a Mexican presidential candidate; the country will hold its presidential election July 1.

“I was always upset by how unauthorized immigrants were dehumanized in their depiction,” says Jarman, who has lived in Mexico since 2004. “I wondered what could happen if there was a face to this human issue and people could better understand what was driving immigrants to move across the border.”

The immigration debate won’t just be part of the Mexican presidential elections next month; it will also play a large role in the U.S. presidential elections this November. After the Dream Act—which sought to provide paths to permanent residency and citizenship to immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors—stalled for years in Congress, president Barack Obama announced a policy change that would prevent some undocumented youth from deportation earlier this month. In following Marisol’s life—which has taken the photographer from Mexico to Florida to Texas—Jarman says she’s tried to capture this greater immigration story through the life of an individual. “Marisol’s story represents the story of thousands of immigrants, particularly women in her age group,” Jarman says. “To see her grow up and face so many challenges and still keep a very positive attitude—all while continuing to have this maturity beyond her years—has made me really respect her as a woman.”

Some of those challenges have included unplanned pregnancies that prevented Marisol from graduating high school. Still, Jarman says, Marisol, who lives with her husband in central Texas, strives to achieve the American Dream. “She wants to get out of the poverty cycle, have financial stability and provide a life for kids that’s better than her own,” she says. “And that story speaks to a lot of immigrants, which is why I wanted to follow a family, or individual, over time. One of the best ways to provide an understanding of immigrants is to not treat people as statistics.”

Janet Jarman is a photographer based in Mexico. See more of her work here.

Matamoros, Mexico, 1996. Marisol, 8, daydreams at dusk while anticipating the arrival of more garbage trucks at the municipal dump. While her father and brother worked harvesting produce in the United States, Marisol, her mother and her siblings remained in Matamoros, where they searched for recyclable items to sell. Activists at the time deemed this waste site as one of the most toxic along the U.S. Mexican border.Janet Jarman
Mexico, 1996. Marisol and her mother, Eloisa, 39, search through mounds of waste at the municipal dump. Janet Jarman
Mexico, 1996. Marisol and her siblings crowd into the main room of their home consisting of three small rooms constructed from wafer board and aluminum sheets. Janet Jarman
Florida, 1996. Immigrant children observe their new classmate as Marisol takes the bus to her first day of school in the United States. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2000. Marisol sits alone in her room, listening to the chaos of screaming parents and family members. Her family relocated to Texas soon after emigrating to Florida four years before. Tensions mounted between Marisol's parents and resulted in a bitter divorce that split her family in 2000. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2003. Inside the room she shares with three sisters, Marisol primps before sneaking out to see her first boyfriend. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2003. Marisol accompanies her best friend, Myra, in the celebration of her quinceañera, a special Hispanic tradition marking the rite of passage into womanhood at age 15. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2007. Marisol, her boyfriend, Andrés, and their first son, Carlos, stay warm under a blanket adorned by Mexico's revered patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2007. Marisol warms tamales for Andrés as he prepares to leave for work, washing cars at a FORD dealership. Janet Jarman
Mexico, 2007. Village children study Marisol as if she were an extraterrestrial, minutes after she arrived in Andrés hometown so that Andrés' parents could meet their first grandson. Unable to return due to his undocumented status in the U.S., Andrés sent Marisol and Carlos alone to meet them.
Mexico, 2007. Marisol helps her father-in-law prepare a slaughtered sheep for a village party he made in honor of her first visit. Most residents raise sheep and goats and grow corn, alfalfa, chiles and tomatoes. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2007. Marisol and Carlos in their living room, days before she gave birth to her second child. Janet Jarman
Mexico, 2008. Andrés and Marisol attend a Catholic baptism ceremony with their two children, Carlos and Anahi. Returning to Mexico to baptize their children was a priority for Andrés. Although he and Marisol had no financial savings, they found a way to throw a huge party and barbecue for over 200 people that gave Andrés and his family tremendous pride.Janet Jarman
Mexico 2008. Andrés and Marisol stroll around a village fair. December is an important month for parties and reunions across Mexico. Many immigrants return for the month to enjoy spending time with their families and the traditions they miss. Janet Jarman
Mexico, 2008. While Marisol's mother in-law uses a new washing machine purchased by her son, she sits alone in the families' central work area, pondering her fate, should she move back to Mexico. Janet Jarman
Mexico, 2008. Disgusted by Andrés behavior in his hometown in Mexico, Marisol threatens to break up with him after being together for six years. He reacted by begging her to stay in Mexico with him instead of returning to the U.S. A month later they return as Marisol prefers the healthcare system for their children.Janet Jarman
Texas, 2009. Andrés comforts Marisol, hours after she gave birth to their third child, a boy they named Luis. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2011. Standing on top of their neighbor's€™ home, Andrés lifts a pinata full of candy, a tradition at Mexican birthday parties. This year Marisol was excited that they could afford a jumping castle and a live band. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2011 Andres carries his daughter, Anahi, to his car to be dropped off at Marisol's sister's house while they both work at a truck wash. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2011. Marisol uses acidic chemicals to wash trucks. As she and Andrés added family members, Marisol needed to start working in order to help support three children. Although the acids used for cleaning burned her skin from time to time, she felt proud to make her own money. Janet Jarman
Texas, 2011. Andrés cuddles with Carlos and watches cartoons in the bedroom where he, Marisol and their three children sleep. The trailer has only one bedroom, a kitchen and a living room, but Marisol is proud of it.Janet Jarman
Texas, 2011. Marisol's biological father, Vinicio, pays a visit while they all watch TV at Marisol's sister's house. Marisol and her sisters have learned to tolerate their father, years after the divorce of their parents during their childhood.Janet Jarman
Texas, 2011. Marisol and Andrés take their children to a watch CARS 2 in 3D at a local cinema. Going out as a family is a rare occasion, due to their financial limitations. Janet Jarman
July 2011. Marisol and her children endure a 28-hour bus ride from Mexico City to Dallas, Texas, at the end of her three week stay with her in-laws. Traveling by bus has become increasingly dangerous because of armed assaults, and she vowed never to travel this way again.Janet Jarman

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