Saramatraca (Night Blooming Cereus) III

In October 2023, I spent a few weeks in the beautiful Sonoran desert. I fell in love with the region we call Tucson today. Since 2011, I have been traveling to the borderlands in Arizona to join pro-immigrant movements and to stand against the devastating wall. The border wall has been an awful barrier that was erected in 1994, and it has only gotten deadlier for humans and animals alike.

Those who fund and support the devastating border wall will lead us to believe that the desert is a dead region, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The desert is a vibrant ecosystem! There are many plants and animals that are harshly impacted by the border wall. Therefore, when I’m in Tucson, I look to celebrate the desert and all that is alive in it.

During my time in Tucson, I created an art installation at the University of Arizona about desert plants and creatures that are special to the region, and that are also impacted by militarization, habitat loss and climate change. One of those plants that I especially loved is the Peniocereus greggii, also known as the Saramatraca - Night Blooming Cereus.

Sonoran Desert dwellers know how special it is to observe the night blooming cereus’s rare, luminous, and fragrant flowers. Legend says that the cactuses all bloom a single night of the year. In fact, they bloom in three to five night-time flushes per year, between late May and early July: cactuses near to one another all flower in synchrony. At other times of the year, the plant is less noticeable, and a large portion of it is underground in the form of a tuber.

This limited edition print honors the sacred Saramatraca.