Geoff Winningham began photographing the popular fiestas of Mexico in1984. Returning to the same Mexican villages several times a year, heformed personal relationships with families who permitted him tophotograph them in the intimacy of their homes, and local officials whogave him special access to all phases of the celebrations.

The fiestas provide tangible links to the pre-Hispanic cultures of middle America, intertwining some of the great Pagan festivals of these ancient peoples with catholic ritual and tradition. In the Eye of the Sun is a remarkable visual chronicle of Mexican life. The book also includes an introduction by Richard Rodriguez and an essay by J.M.G. Le Clezio.