Gezicht op een markt in Chihuahua before 1883

This photograph captures a market in Chihuahua, immortalizing a moment teeming with life. Dominating the scene is a large archway. Historically, arches symbolize transitions, gateways to new experiences, or passages between worlds. We might recall the triumphal arches of ancient Rome, structures erected to honor military victories and the power of the state. The motif then evolved through centuries, appearing in sacred architecture as portals to divine spaces. Over time, its architectural role combined with this symbolic weight, signifying passages both physical and spiritual. The people gathered, captured in their daily activities, reflect a collective experience, a shared moment in time. Gestures of trade, exchange, and social interaction remind us of the perpetual human drama, subconsciously embedded in our cultural memory, subtly shifting across time and space. The market becomes a stage for the performance of everyday life. The arch represents the entrance to this theatrical scene, but also the entrance into the collective human experience.