See Pictures of the Small Mexican Town Embracing Islam
400 Mexicans are building a new identity by merging their indigenous practices with Islam.
Published 11 Nov 2017, 01:48 GMT
A group of Sufi Muslims from Spain began building this mosque in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas to house the growing community in Chiapas.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiDomingo López Ángel leads the Leader of the Council of Indigenous Representatives of the Chiapas Highlands (CRIACH), which advocates for the rights of native people. He was an early adopter of Islam in the community.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiEleven-year-old Ramka watches a movie about the Virgin Mary during the holy feast of Eid al-Adha.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiA child prays in a mosque in the town of Las Nuevas Esperanzas.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiAdherents of Ahmadiyya, an Islamic movement born in India, pray in Mexico. The denomination doesn't consider Mohammad the final prophet, and so are considered heretics by conservative Muslims.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiAnastasio Gomez changed his name to Ibrahim Chechev when he first converted to Islam. Now, he's the imam of the Ahmadi Community in San Cristobal de las Casas.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiEvangelicals named the streets on the outskirts of San Juan de Chamula, where they moved after being targeted for their religious beliefs. Today Muslims live in these neighborhoods.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiBaraka (second from left) is the mother of three daughters and the imam of the Al-Kausar Mosque in Chiapas. After converting to Islam she changed her name from Dominga.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiThis bright hijab—a gift from one of the foreign Muslims who've come to know the community—is Salama Palamo Diaz's favorite.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiThe Muslims of Mexico City and the Muslims of Chiapas visited the El Chiflón waterfall together.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiA young Muslim woman carries her daughter in rural Molinos de Arcos.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiMuslim men slaughtered two cows for a sacrificial feast in Chiapas. The meat is dividing into thirds: for the family, relatives, and the poor.
Photograph by Giulia IacoluttiAn embalmed Siamese twin calf stands in a butcher shop in San Cristobal de las Casas. Halal meat is difficult to find in the countryside, so devout Muslims must do the slaughtering themselves.
Photograph by Giulia Iacolutti