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Three Sisters Zine Series

A project for the AIRC's 2017 Indigithanx (an alternative Thanksgiving that celebrate indigenous knowledge and traditions), this zine was created by interns Steph Hernández, Valeria Paredes and Ivette Torres as a form of educating folx on the three sisters; corns, beans and squash that were the staple foods of Indigenous people. Click through the images below to view each zine.

  • Cover of maize zine
  • "My bean sister needs no sticks because her vines can wrap around my strong corn stalks."
  • "Fun fact about me: my original name was teosinte. I've been a main part of diets in the Native American Southwest and Central America for thousands of years."
  • "I am the eldest of my sisters and provide iron, fiber, magnesium and vitamin C."
  • Back cover of maize zine
  • Cover of frijol zine
  • "I am the giving sister pulling nitrogen from the air, I put it into the soil and make my sisters happy."
  • "I may be small, but I give you iron, carbohydrates and folate. My protein and fiber balance sugar release into bloodstream, filling you up longer."
  • "I tangle through squash vines and wind my way up the cornstalks, holding my sisters together so we don't blow away with the wind."
  • Back cover of frijol zine
  • Cover of calabaza zine
  • "I'm the youngest sister, small but muscular. My fiber helps you poop and my seeds help kill intestinal worms and parasites."
  • "My vines trap moisture for my sisters, corn and beans."
  • "My large leaves provide shade, preventing the growth of weeds. I may be really prickly, but I protect our garden from critters."
  • Back cover of calabaza zine