Annabel Castro

Cinema & Communication Department, University of Monterrey, Mexico

Interactive map of voices portraying what monuments mean in two different geographies. One is Kumamoto castle in Japan and the other is situated in the municipality of Temixco in Morelos, Mexico. The one in Mexico, also a castle, was designed and constructed by a son to honor the memory of his deceased father’s most beloved tree (a ficus Moraceae). The father, a doctor, spent several years unjustly detained in the municipality’s segregation camp for citizens of Japanese heritage during WWII. It is known that he used to leave the camp at night to treat local patients for free in the town.

The interactive map presents a series of local voices from people sharing what they recall from being physically in or nearby Kumamoto Castle. What each person mentions adds to the castle and community portraits. The map also presents voice recordings of the doctor´s son explaining why he decided to construct the monument, how the monument is experienced by the community, and how the community and his father experienced the missing tree. It also includes the voice of the former director of Biodiversity Conservation and research (UAEM) commenting on his perceptions of visiting Ficus (Moraceae) trees of Morelos, among other voices.

Booklet about the Mexican castle: A Castle for Temixco

Castle Grounds interactive map