The image of the Tehuana, brought world renown by the painter Frida Kahlo, has become an icon of the beauty and elegance of Mexican women.

But who is the Tehuana?

Where does she live?

What does she do for a living?

What is her lifestyle like?

For over ninety years it was thought the answers to these questions were known, but no one had answered them with any real certainty. Tehuana answers these questions and more, entering the world of the village of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, a place that refuses to lose its customs and traditions. Descended from the Zapotec empire, this people knew how to adapt to the arrival of immigrants from all over the world more than a hundred years ago.

For ten months, photographer Diego Huerta repeatedly traveled to Santo Domingo Tehuantepec to document the Tehuana women’s lifestyle.

During his multiple trips he had the opportunity to experience traditional festivals and celebrations in the different Tehuantepec neighborhoods, and was able to live out the feeling of and love for the Tehuana culture.