Living in a Mexican Diaspora is a heavy process. In some immigration cases, you leave your family and friends behind and encounter challenges. You live between two cultures, going through a metamorphosis and becoming a new entity. Using the flora and fauna symbolism in this art piece, I explore the diaspora that I am living in Canada. As the Monarch butterfly who comes from the Morelia State, Mexico, where I lived, I signify the land where I come from and my ancestral culture with the representation of the Nahual.

The placement of the Nahual Monarch Butterfly in between the flowers Trillium and Dahlia represent Canada and Mexico, respectively. It is in this state of in-between where most immigrants have to deal with belonging to two different cultures. Another way to signify my place of origin is the materiality of the art piece by casting it with melted Mexican Silver coins, an inheritance from my Grandmother. The genderless Nahual and the triangle plate depict my identity as a non-binary person. The triangle serves as the base for the brooch as a proud symbol. Finally, the performativity of carrying this heavy piece helps to open a conversation about being a non-binary immigrant.