Hammer of God

A man strikes a sledgehammer fitted with packets of explosive chemicals against the ground during the Exploding Hammer Festival in San Juan de la Vega, Mexico. The explosions commemorate the local legend of Juan Aquino de la Vega, who, with the aid of Saint John the Baptist, recovered stolen gold from bandits. The tradition has been celebrated for centuries as part of the town’s annual Carnival festivities.

Produced from the original 120mm film negative on Deep Matte Fine Art paper and professionally presented in an 8 × 10 black frame with a museum style white mat. Each piece is individually hand signed, hand numbered, and finished with the Holy Violence blind emboss.

Includes:

• Limited edition of 10, individually hand numbered
• 5 × 7 Deep Matte Fine Art print from the original 35mm film negative
• 8 × 10 black frame with museum style white mat
• Hand signed
• Holy Violence blind emboss
• Certificate of Authenticity
• Expedition Notes mounted to the reverse of the frame describing the photograph, its location, and the ritual depicted
• Ready to hang

Each Holy Violence photograph documents a real ritual, ceremony, or tradition encountered during fieldwork around the world. Every image is captured on film and released in limited editions as a permanent record of cultures, beliefs, and traditions witnessed firsthand.