Joya Hairs Papers and Photographs

Containing photographs, slides, negatives, correspondence, research materials, and writings, the collection documents the life and work of Joya Hairs, photographer and writer. Much of the material concerns Mayan archaeology and modern Guatemala. The collection is organized into thirteen series, following Hairs’ original organization where possible. The series are Archaeology, Sakbé, Comalapa, David Ordoñez, Commercial Work, Writings, Albums, Slides, Personal Materials, Collected Publications, Papers and Photographs of Sue W. Miles, Cassette Tapes, and Negatives. The Archaeology series includes two sub-series: Tikal and Operacion Rescate. The Sakbé series includes one sub-series: Sakbé Negatives. The Writings series includes two sub-series: Manuscripts and Notebooks. Researchers should note that materials on a certain subject or location may be distributed throughout the collection; they are encouraged to peruse the complete folder list.

Series One, Archaeology, includes photographs, slides, negatives, and other materials regarding archaeology in Central America. This is one of the larger series in the collection, and includes materials on sites such as Dos Pilas, Seibal, Yaxchilan, Kaminal-Juyu and Chichen Itza. It also includes materials not associated with a specific site, including photographs and slides of private and museum collections of artifacts. The series also includes two sub-series. The Tikal sub-series includes all the photographs and slides of Tikal archaeology, as well as materials for some projects linked to Associacion Tikal, including one audio-cassette. The Operacion Rescate sub-series includes images of Naranjo, El Peru, and Peten, taken by Hairs for Operacion Rescate’s work, as well as an article written by Hairs about OR’s activities.

Series Two, Sakbé, contains photographs and slides from Sakbé expeditions, mostly organized by year. Many of the expeditions are to the Peten area. The series also includes the Sakbé Guest Book and Ledger. The sub-series, Sakbé Negatives, contains mostly 120-format negatives, many of which are severely damaged. For this reason, the sub-series has not been entirely processed, but an initial inventory is provided for researchers.

Series Three, San Juan Comalapa, contains many images of Andres Churuchich and his family. Andres Churuchich was a “naïve” painter, whose work eventually gained popularity outside of Guatemala. His work and family are both documented in this series, through photographs and slides, as well as correspondence about Churuchich. The series also includes other images of San Juan Comalapa village life, including the Christmas Market (Mercado Navideño) and the aftermath of the 1976 earthquake, which destroyed many buildings in the area.

Series Four, David Ordoñez, contains mostly slides and accompanying audio. Ordoñez, an artist who depicts Guatemalan life and culture, asked Hairs to help him document his work for an exhibit/presentation entitled “Luz, Color, Textura.” This series contains those slides, organized as they were in the original carousels, as well as other slides of Ordoñez at work. The cassettes in the series contain the audio that accompanied the presentations. The series also contains an exhibit catalog inscribed to Hairs from Ordoñez.

Series Five, Commercial Work, comprises Hairs’ work for corporations and government agencies. The entities included are the Asociation Nacional de Café (ANACAFE), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Caterpillar, Empresa Electrica de Guatemala, The Episcopalian, Exploraciones y Explotaciones Mineras Izabal, S.A. (EXMIBAL), the Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo, the Nello Teer concrete company, Tabacalera Centroamericana, S.A. (TACASA), and the Teatro Nacional de Guatemala. Most of the material is slides and photographs, but there are also some folders of correspondence, clippings, and other materials. At the end of the series are other published photos, organized by decade.

Series Six, Writings, contains written materials produced by Hairs. The Manuscripts sub-series includes the drafts and layouts for “Chito” (unpublished),Barrilete!/Come Fly a Kite!, and “Maya Mosaic” (unpublished). The material for these works also includes photographs and correspondence. The series also includes a published article, “Guatemalan Textiles: An Ancient Tradition” and two unpublished writings: a poem titled “On Safariing with Sakbé” and a memoir-type manuscript from 2010, titled “Tejidos”. The Notebooks sub-series contains sixteen notebooks used as travel journals between 1955 and 1962.

Series Seven, Albums, contains photographs and a few writings that are (or were) housed in albums created by Hairs. Some albums contain a particular type of material (e.g. portraits), while some are focused on a location (e.g. France). Of particular note is the album of the Standard Fruit trip, on which Hairs received her first camera; the pictures in this album were taken with that camera.

Series Eight, Slides, contains all the slides that are not archaeological or commercial in nature. Some are labeled by location and some are labeled by subject; the two types of folders are intermingled in alphabetical order. Notable subjects include churches, portraits, textiles, and Todos Santos celebrations. Notable locations include Jamaica, Guatemala City, Lake Atitlan, Peten, and Santiago Sacatepequez. This is the largest series in the collection. Researchers are particularly encouraged to read the full folder list of this series, as many folders include slides of more than one subject or location.

Series Nine, Personal, comprises photographs and other materials from Hairs’ personal life. In particular, there are materials from two exhibits of Hairs’ photography, as well as hundreds of prints of places and people, particularly from the 1950s. Many of the prints are unlabeled, so this series includes several folders of prints whose subjects and/or dates are unclear. In addition to photographs, the series also includes notes, research, and correspondence. Hairs’ personal interests in the artifact trade and pre-Hispanic Guatemala are represented.

Series Ten, Collected Publications, contains published materials which were owned by Hairs, but which do not contain her work. Most of the publications are on archaeological subjects, but a few are about photography. The final folder in the series contains publications on various subjects (the Maya, photography, and folklore), which contain inscriptions written to Hairs.

Series Eleven, Papers and Photographs of Suzanne W. Miles, contains the personal materials of Suzanne W. Miles, co-owner of Sakbé. The series includes negatives, photographs, writings, clippings, and correspondence. Of particular note is a manuscript in journal form, about Todos Santos celebrations, written in 1955. There are also prints and clippings on the subject. Miles’ correspondence spans from 1962-1965, and covers both personal and professional topics.

Series Twelve, Cassette Tapes, contains 18 cassettes, mostly recorded by Hairs. They include recordings of a symposium at the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia called “Before Cortez”, led by J.E.S. Thompson, as well as Thompson’s BBC/Chronicle program, “Return to the Maya”. Other recorded lecturers on archaeology and Meso-America include: Dr. Ignacio Bernal, Dr. Michael Coe, Dr. Herbert Quirin, Dr. Peter Turst, and Dr. H. Nicholson. There are also two tapes of narration to accompany a collection of slides called “Guatemala es Muchas Cosas”, which can be found in the Slides series.

Series Thirteen, Negatives, is currently unprocessed because of the level of damage to most of the negatives. The negatives are mostly 120-format portraits, labeled by family name, though some commercial work and archaeological photography is also represented. Researchers wishing to view the negatives should contact an archivist.