Candy Work
Photography by Yecenia Méndez
Dona Josefina Rosales is a businesswoman has worked all her life. At 87-years-old she prepares milk candies, which she sells to make a living. “I never thought of doing anything else,” she says with a lost look on her face.
When Dona Jose was a child, her grandmother wouldn’t let her play with other children. Instead, she would teach her to cook and prepare candies. She always stressed to her that woman should be in the kitchen, clean the house and take care of the children. Once she became a single mother at 16 years old, Jose turned her hobby into a way to support her and her son. She has been making and selling milk candies ever since.
Now, she lives in house that has seen her birth and grow old. While the world has changed around her, her candy making and her beliefs about the role of women have remained the same.
Click on the photo to see the slideshow.
-
- Josefina spends most of her day in the kitchen hunched over her wood-fire stove. She must constantly stir the milk candies as she is making them or they will burn.
-
- She lives and works in the home that once belonged to her parents. She was born and grew up here. This is where she gave birth to and raised her only son, Hector. Hung on the wall are all tools she uses to cook daily.
-
- One of Jose’s most popular items is milk candy served in a candied orange peel.
-
- Neighbors, friends and tourists who buy her candies and food visit Dona Jose daily. Her home has becomes a prominent gathering point for the community.
-
- Her sister, Margarita (pictured) and her niece, Maria, help Dona Jose run her business and provide her with company while she is working.
-
- After a hard day of work, Dona Jose feels tired but is satisfied with the work she has done. Even though she has trouble walking, Jose stands on her feet in the kitchen for hours every day.
-
- Jose is a religious woman who thanks God everyday for another day of her life. She watches Catholic mass on television every day at noon.
-
- Although it seems like Dona Jose’s days are all the same and she follows the same routine, she tries to make each day special.
