Michael Plyler photographs from Guatemala

GUID

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4aa326ac2-5023-42df-a121-8edc978e833d

Creator

Plyler, Michael, 1955-

Provenance

Donated by Michael Plyler in 1984, 2013, and 2023.

Creator

Plyler, Michael, 1955-

Culture

Ixil K'iche' Maya

Kaqchikel Maya (Cakchiquel)

K'iche' Maya (Quiché)

Mam Maya

Tz'utuhil Maya (Tzutuhil/Zutigil)

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Michael Plyler photographs from Guatemala

Summary

This collection consists of photographic prints, negatives, and transparencies taken by Michael Plyler between 1982 and 2018 that depict the everyday lives of five Highland Maya community groups from Guatemala. Also included are images of churches, buildings, and historic structures from Guatemala.

Biographical / Historical

Michael Plyler has been photographing the lives of the Highland Maya people of Guatemala since first visiting the country in 1982. Over the decades since he has built lasting relationships with the subjects of his artwork, learning about their lives, their joys, and their struggles. Unlike many other photographers to document this region, Plyler chose not to focus on the atrocities and suffering caused by years of civil war which typically portrayed the Highland Maya of Guatemala as simply victims. Instead Plyler's work highlights the people's dignity and beauty. In his words, his photographs seek to capture the essence of each individual, not their circumstance. In addition to his work in Guatemala, Plyler also collaborated on the 2010 book "Southern Paiute: A Portrait." This work documented 32 Southern Paiute Elders, many of whom passed away since the book's publication. Alongside his Maya portraits, Plyler recognizes this book as one of his most significant contributions to the universal dialogue. Plyler has traveled across the globe for his work, photographing extensively in the Americas and Europe. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his photography, and has exhibited his works in both solo and group exhibitions internationally. Many of his photographic collections now reside in museums in the United States and Guatemala. He continues to photograph, and lives with his wife, Sandy Bell, in Nevada. To learn more about Michael Plyler's photography and work in Guatemala, you can visit the following links: https://www.ccainv.org/files/2023/02/PlylerEssay.pdf and www.plylerfoto.com

Extent

86 Photographic prints

8 Color transparencies (Color, 120mm)

78 Negatives (photographic) (Black and white, 4 x 5 inches)

214 Negatives (photographic) (Black and white, 35mm)

305 Negatives (photographic) (Black and white, 4 x 5.5 cm)

841 Negatives (photographic) (Black and white, 120mm)

Date

1982-2018

Archival Repository

National Museum of the American Indian

Identifier

NMAI.AC.071

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Color transparencies

Negatives (photographic)

Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Michael Plyler photographs from Guatemala, image #, NMAI.AC.071; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by community group.

Processing Information

Processed by Nathan Sowry, Reference Archivist, in 2024.

Rights

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

Scope and Contents

The Michael Plyler photographs from Guatemala collection consists of photographic prints, negatives, and transparencies taken by Michael Plyler between 1982 and 2018 that depict the everyday lives of five Highland Maya community groups from Guatemala: Series 1: Ixil, 1982-2005, Series 2: Kaqchikel, 1982-2018, Series 3: K'iche', 1983-2018, Series 4: Mam, 1986-2002, Series 5: Tz'utuhil, 1984-2018. Also included are images of churches, buildings, and historic structures from Guatemala in Series 6: Architecture, 1982-2002.

Restrictions

Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).

Record ID

ebl-1727960400884-1727960402100-0