Journey to the Center

Author Cristina de Middel
Co-published with Editions Textuel
Design Maricris Herrera
Texts Pedro Anza, Cristina de Middel
Binding hardcover
Pages 176
Images 150
Size 20 × 30 cm / 7.9 × 11.8 in
Language English edition with Spanish insert
Publication year 2024

Cristina de Middel constructs images that invite reflection, combining documentary photography with staged scenes and archival material. In Journey to the Center, she explores migration routes through Mexico, drawing inspiration from Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.

The project presents migration as a complex and layered journey, both real and symbolic. Mexico becomes the setting for an intense and often extreme passage, portrayed with a sense of narrative and atmosphere.

Over several years, de Middel travelled alongside migrants riding the train known as “La Bestia”, while also engaging with figures such as sicarios, coyotes and police officers. By integrating her photographs with found objects and archival imagery, she builds a multi-layered narrative structure.

The journey begins in Tapachula, on the southern border between Mexico and Guatemala, and ends in Felicity, California — officially designated as the “Center of the World”. The narrative is shaped by the testimonies of three migrants alongside the artist’s own reflections. An afterword by journalist Pedro Anza addresses the broader political context and the human consequences of U.S. border policies.

Description from the publisher’s website