page_title: Alejandro Santiago Ramírez
section_title: Life
hierarchical_section_title: Alejandro Santiago Ramírez / Life
caption_attribution_description: English: Message from the Curator about the Museum and the displays by Alejandro Santiago
context_page_description: Alejandro Santiago Ramírez was a Mexican painter and sculptor best known for his monumental art piece "2501 Migrantes".
context_section_description: Alejandro Santiago was born in Teococuilco de Marcos Perez, Oaxaca, 60 km northeast of the city of Oaxaca. When he was 9, he moved with his family to Oaxaca city. Santiago studied at the Centro de Educacion Artistica and was among the first graduates of the Rufino Tamayo Plastic Arts workshop.
  After a decade of pursuing his art in the US and Europe and achieving international acclaim, Santiago returned to his hometown. Struck by how few people remained, he "vowed to honor the departed and 'repopulate' his impoverished hometown."
  Over six years, beginning in 2002, Santiago realized his vision of a monumental installation art piece that symbolizes the migrants who left village life in rural Mexico in search of jobs in the US. With the help of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and a team of more than 30 workers, Santiago crafted "2501 Migrantes" out of clay. The figures fuse characteristics of prehispanic and modern art, each one unique yet maintaining an essence of anonymity.
  Using the remaining clay from "2501 Migrantes", Santiago launched a second project featuring migrant families. Each group features one member drawing them to the North, while they are reflecting on what they have left behind. The central courtyard at the Museo Rufino Tamayo, Oaxaca displays a portion of the "Familias Migrantes", with a handful of the original "2501 Migrantes" looking down from above.
  Alejandro Santiago died of a heart attack in 2013. He is survived by his wife Zoila Lopez, son Lucio Santiago, and daughter Alejandra Santiago.
caption: Message from the Curator about the Museum and the displays by Alejandro Santiago
exif: {"Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone 6s Plus", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "10.2.1", "Image DateTime": "2017:02:19 12:29:58", "Image ExifOffset": "200", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[17, 3, 4829/100]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[96, 43, 3719/100]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "119380/77", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[18, 29, 55]", "GPS GPSSpeedRef": "K", "GPS GPSSpeed": "0", "GPS GPSImgDirectionRef": "T", "GPS GPSImgDirection": "22442/299", "GPS GPSDestBearingRef": "T", "GPS GPSDestBearing": "22442/299", "GPS GPSDate": "2017:02:19", "GPS Tag 0x001F": "65", "Image GPSInfo": "1700", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/120", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "32", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2017:02:19 12:29:58", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2017:02:19 12:29:58", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "27681/4007", "EXIF ApertureValue": "7892/3469", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "6870/1027", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "83/20", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[2015, 1511, 2217, 1330]", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "105", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "105", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3024", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "4032", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "29", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[83/20, 83/20, 11/5, 11/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone 6s Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2"}