Tucumcari: Ruins to Revival

Posted 01.24.21
Photography and words by Joelyn Dalit

This photo essay covers the standing structures left to idle in the desert heat of New Mexico. Once bustling with road junkies, tourists, and highwaymen, Tucumcari is rendered almost an Atlantis of the west even before the economic impact that COVID-19 has had. I believe photography is not only a way to preserve a moment in time, but a way to create life and in this case new life. Using photography, my goal here is to give the buildings themselves a life of their own, minus the people. Can buildings retain a personality without human interference?