Heritage is a deeply personal portrayal of generational legacy, centered around the artist’s daughter and the cultural traditions being passed down to her. Set against the backdrop of Tomé Hill, family farmlands, and a 1971 El Camino, the piece highlights faith, creativity, and labor as core values. Reflections in the girl’s sunglasses show chile ristras, symbolizing cultural preservation. The alfalfa bouquet and classic car reference rural life and New Mexico’s car culture, while the central, unshaded shovel becomes the focal point, symbolizing the hard work required to maintain these traditions. The piece conveys that what is inherited isn’t material wealth but responsibility—an ethic of effort, love, and cultural continuity. The girl’s time to carry these traditions has not yet come, as symbolized by the lighting, but the tools—literal and metaphorical—are already in her hands. This is the essence of Heritage: the passing down of identity, duty, and the enduring value of hard work.
