A San Franciscan friar, Juan de San Miguel, founded the town bearing his name in 1540. It became a major supply center for the surrounding area, including the silver mines at nearby Guanajuato. I wanted to photograph a statue of him in the context of both his calling and his religious order. The statue stands on the town’s main square, in front of its parish church, El Parroquia. I made this as the early morning light illuminated the church yet held the statue partially in shadow. Only the head and shoulders catch the early morning light – the rest of the friar is obscured. The curve of his shoulders echoes the curves in the design of the church itself. At the moment I shot, a pigeon was standing on his head. Normally, that would be a humorous cop out. A cliché. But this friar was a follower of the order of St. Francis, founded by a saint noted for his compassion for animals. A bird on a Franciscan’s head makes an appropriate statement. This is more than just a picture of a statue with a bird upon its head. It is an expression of a historical figure’s faith and tradition.