In April of 2001, I traveled for a week to Mexico City and deep into the heart of the countryside to seek out the hidden world of Mexican cockfighting. The sport has roots dating back thousands of years and is practiced throughout Europe, Latin, Central and North America. Although cockfighting is generally associated with lower economic classes, participants are often from among the aristocracy of the land. Men of all ages and social backgrounds engage in the breeding and sport of cockfighting.

Cockfighting is an extremely secretive and elusive sport. Fans and participants are very cautious about letting outsiders and media into their colorful, passionate, and controversial world. Often criticized for their cruelty toward the animals, cockfighters were generally suspicious of me as a foreigner looking to photograph their sport. However, with the assistance of prominent members of the cockfighting community, I was granted unrestricted access to farms and fights. I was able to penetrate and document what lies at the heart of the palenque, the cockfighting arena.