SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico — We Mexicans live behind masks of our own creation, even if in these portraits they are more a symbolic gesture of futility than protection.

Masks have long been a part of our cultural history, from the Lucha Libre masks to those worn for la Danza de los Viejitos, a traditional folk dance from the State of Michoacán.

They are like a garment that protects our vulnerabilities and allows us to express ourselves.

The city of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, where we live, was quick to enact a strong response to the coronavirus and, as a result, the city has one of the lowest case rates in Mexico. But its citizens, already economically battered, have been depleted by the pandemic.

A young construction worker, preacher and butcher wear masks that are representative of the tools used to make a living, liberate us, and to fix things. A versatility borne out of hardship and necessity.

In a year where everything has been turned on its head, there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary about wearing a mask made of a chicharron, a tin heart or the husk of a tamal.

There can be beauty in resistance.

Russell Monk is a documentary and fine-art photographer. Valerie Mejer Caso is a Mexican poet, visual artist and translator. She is the author recently of the book, “Edinburgh Notebook.”

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