If you’ve never been to Mexico City, you can discover the grandiose city’s spirit in the images captured by documentary photographer Greta Rico. Greta, a native of Mexico, is a cultural journalist turned visual storyteller, and her unique eye has catapulted her into Instagram fame and gained her widespread respect and admiration by fellow photographers. 

“As as feminist, I’ve seen how history has always been documented through the male gaze,” Greta laments. “Women tell stories differently and have the sensitivity to report on topics that men simply overlook. That prevents the full truth from being told.”

Greta particularly appreciates the spontaneity the streets of Mexico City offer. “Street photography has a lot of magic. I like to find scenes that come from nothing. I live in one of the largest cities in the world, yet people are barely aware of the beauty of their surroundings,” she states. “The great thing about street photography is that you don’t need fancy equipment, all you need is your camera phone, which is what I’ve used for many of my own photos.” 

She draws inspirations from an array of fellow women photographers, including Magnum photographer Cristina Garcia Rodero and Mexican photojournalist Frida Hartz. Among the biggest lessons she’s learned from these women are the importance to treat your subjects humanely and the need to stay humble and selfless. “I don’t ‘own’ these stories I tell. It’s not ‘my story’, as some photographers like to boast. These are the stories of the people we follow, they are the true owners of the story.”

The ability of Greta’s eye to capture the essence of Mexico’s daily life coupled with her strong purpose of advocating for feminist values makes her work invaluable and necessary in a time when rhetoric attacks two of the core pillars of her being.

– Valentina Pereda, 2019 Adelante Fellow, Honduras