Between a Sword and a Wall

Central America’s Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—is among the deadliest regions on earth. Since the 1980s, 85% of Central American immigrants arriving at the U.S. southern border have come from this area. The region is plagued by violent conflicts, systemic corruption, economic disparities, and environmental crises, all of which have fueled a massive migration north, particularly since late 2018, as asylum requests skyrocketed. People flee not just violence—personal and direct—but also extreme poverty and starvation, driven by political instability and climate change. U.S. asylum officers’ credible fear screenings found that 82% of women from the Northern Triangle had “a significant possibility of establishing eligibility for asylum or protection under the UN Convention Against Torture Act.” At least half of migrants are asylum-seeking refugees, many unaccompanied minors. The UN estimates over 1.7 million internally displaced people in the region, with thousands more embarking on dangerous journeys north each year, escaping gangs, cartels, and state fragility.

Cory Zimmerman

Cory Zimmerman is an American documentary photographer based in Mexico, where he has worked for nearly a decade. He mainly focuses on humanitarian, social, and cultural issues such as migration, human rights, poverty, and fringe communities. Using black and white photography, he aims to capture the poetic essence of life. Zimmerman’s work seeks to foster human connection and empathy while highlighting injustices and diverse ways of life.

Zimmerman studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and various other art schools and universities, focusing on photography, filmmaking, fine arts, and creative writing, which enriched his artistic vision and technical skills. His work has taken him around the world, capturing powerful stories from Central American migrant caravans to Maya communities in Guatemala, the slums of India, Southeast Asia, and South America, as well as the back streets of America’s inner cities and its fringe cultures. Each photo project reflects his commitment to highlighting the resilience of the human spirit amidst adversity.

He believes that the grain of a photograph parallels the grit that settles in the cracks of society, embodying the grime of life that binds us all as one interconnected being. “Compassion is my religion,” Zimmerman asserts, emphasizing that while empathy is the foundation of civilization, conscious awareness truly fosters the realization that when one suffers, all suffer. For Zimmerman, the camera is an unmatched tool for building a just world and a powerful weapon to be used mercifully against injustice.

Through his lens, Zimmerman continues to promote a deeper understanding of our shared humanity. Motivated by the belief that “with exposure comes understanding and with understanding comes appreciation,” Zimmerman encourages viewers to explore stories from the farthest reaches of civilization and to be willing to walk the long path that unites us all.

Cory Zimmerman has finished two new photo books that showcase his experiences with the migrant caravans and the Maya of the Guatemalan Highlands. These books will be part of the upcoming exhibit of his recent work at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria. He also studies Spanish at UNAM in Mexico City, where he lives with his Cuban Canary, Clyde.