El Que Nace Pa' Tamal Del Cielo Le Caen Las Hojas
Photography
El Que Nace Pa' Tamal Del Cielo Le Caen Las Hojas (2024) depicts Sarahi Jimenez, who plays a central role as both the model and symbolic figure in this visual narrative. This photographic series reinterprets this dicho, which loosely translates to “He/she who is born to be a tamale, the leaves will fall from the sky.” Traditionally, the saying speaks to the idea of destiny, that if something is meant for you, the universe will provide the means for it to happen, just as corn husks fall to wrap the tamale. Historically, this saying has often been directed at men, suggesting they are destined for greatness, while women were expected to accept more limited roles. This work reclaims the phrase as a declaration of female strength, autonomy, and boundless potential.
Sarahi embodies a woman stepping into her power, challenging the passive narratives often associated with fate. In the first photograph, she stands alone in a dry, open field as corn husks fall gently around her. The barren landscape speaks to both cultural tradition and the solitude women often face when confined to societal expectations. The falling corn husks reference destiny taking form, yet Sarahi’s firm and grounded posture signals a refusal to wait for fate, she is ready to act.
In the following images, Sarahi becomes an active participant in shaping her future. In one, she reaches upward toward the sky, her hand outstretched to catch a corn husk; in the next, she seizes one that reads “poderosa” meaning “powerful.” This act of reaching and claiming transforms the dicho from a passive assurance of destiny into an empowered statement of choice. The corn husk marked with letters that spell out poderosa becomes a visual metaphor for reclaiming agency and redefining inherited narratives. It challenges the idea that greatness is granted only to men and affirms that Latina women, too, are born to lead, create, and thrive.
In the final photograph, Sarahi cradles the corn husks against her chest, not as a burden, but as a declaration. She embraces her destiny on her own terms. No longer waiting for life to happen to her, she affirms her identity, strength, and future through her own hands. El Que Nace Pa' Tamal Del Cielo Le Caen Las Hojas honors cultural roots while subverting patriarchal expectations. Through its symbolic imagery and Sarahi’s powerful presence, the work becomes a celebration of womanhood, self realization, and the belief that every woman is born with the right to define her own path.
