In the summer of 2018, I traveled to Mexico City with my grandfather Ruben Madrid, my dad Scot French, and my brother Levi. My dad was attending the international Digital Humanities conference. My great-grandparents, Tomasa and Manuel Madrid, grew up and lived in the Durango/Chihuahua area before immigrating to the U.S. during the Mexican Revolution in 1910. During our visit, I learned about the diverse and rich history of Mexico and my ancestors. We made trips to the pyramids at Teotihuacan, the Bosque de Chapultepec, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (a shrine holding an spiritual object dating from 1531). During our week in Mexico, I also attended exhibits at the Museum Nacional de Historia (the National Museum of History). This trip helped me understand and interpret my own heritage and forge a physical connection with places that represented the history of my ancestors.
