Ofelia

Ofelia is an elderly woman who has lived for more than 50 years in Iztapalapa, one of the most dangerous areas in Mexico City. She is the mother of eight children. After being widowed in the early 1970s, she took over the family butchery that her husband had left to some of their sons.

Two of those sons, Benjamín and Salvador, still run the butchery and live with her in the same house—a home that once sheltered the entire family. Years ago, during an armed robbery at the shop, one of her sons was shot. He survived, “thank God,” she says, as the bullet hole remains visible on the door separating the butchery from their home. A devout Catholic, Ofelia works tirelessly and only rests when her responsibilities at home finally allow her to sleep.