History Is Being Made, and I'm Documenting It. Morelia, Michoacán, and Sacramento, California, Are Officially Sister Cities!
- Roberta Alvarado, Founder, New Bird Studio
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty stands with Morelia Mayor Alfonso Martínez Alcázar at Sacramento City Hall immediately after signing the finalized Sacramento-Morelia Sister City agreement on June 25, 2026.
What is a Sister City?
A Sister City relationship is a formal, long-term partnership between two cities in different countries. More than a ceremonial agreement, these partnerships create opportunities for collaboration in arts and culture, education, tourism, economic development, professional exchange, and citizen diplomacy. The purpose is to foster lasting relationships where communities learn from one another, share ideas, and work together to improve the quality of life in both cities. As the Sacramento - Morelia partnership begins its work, leaders and volunteers from both communities have formed subcommittees to turn this agreement into meaningful, long-term collaborations.
Catedral de Morelia (above)
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty, Councilmember Eric Guerra and the Sacramento delegation can be seen below touring the Museo Regional Michoacano and the Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Michoacán. Among the murals is a 1,024-square-foot anti-fascist mural "The Struggle Against Terrorism" painted in 1934 by Los Angeles artists Philip Guston and Reuben Kadish (below).
Media Coverage Featuring Photography and Video by Roberta Alvarado
As Sacramento's Art & Culture Delegate and the partnership's documentary photographer and videographer, I had the unique privilege of contributing to the Sacramento–Morelia Sister City Partnership while documenting its evolution. From the earliest planning stages to the February 2026 Sacramento delegation visit to Morelia and the June 2026 Morelia delegation visit to Sacramento, I created a comprehensive visual record through photography and video, preserving the people, events, and milestones that shaped this historic international relationship.
The following is a selection of some of the media coverage expanding the story and featuring my photography:
I am also honored to have the project hashtag chosen and implemented #SacramentoAMORelia
Seeing History Through the Lens
Documentary photography at this level demands technical precision, endurance, intuition, and unwavering focus. For ten hour days, I moved continuously between the bright midday sun, centuries-old historic buildings, formal ceremonies, and rapidly changing environments where the light, pace, and expectations shifted in an instant. Every transition required immediate technical adjustments while remaining fully present for the moments unfolding around me.
There are no second takes in diplomacy. A first handshake, a meaningful exchange between civic leaders, or an unexpected gesture of warmth happens only once. My role is to anticipate these moments before they unfold, to read the room, understand the rhythm of the event, and instinctively position myself where history is about to happen without becoming part of it.
That level of awareness developed from years of experience. It requires hypervigilance, observation, preparation, restraint, and the confidence to make countless decisions in real time. Every image must be technically excellent, visually compelling, and accurate for history's sake.
Assignments like this are exhilarating and deeply rewarding because they put every skill I've developed to the test. For me, documentary photography represents one of the highest callings of the medium. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to preserve history as it unfolds through photographs that honor the people, the significance of the occasion, and the moment itself. Years from now, these photographs will help tell the story of how the Sister City partnership between Sacramento and Morelia began.
This project reflects the kind of work I love. Documenting history, telling visual stories, creating photography and video, building websites, developing brands, and helping organizations communicate with purpose are at the heart of what I do. If you'd like to work together, I invite you to explore my updated 2026 Services & Pricing Guide:
Questions about your next project? I'd love to hear from you.
From The Heart
Before this experience, I didn't really know what a Sister City relationship was. I had a chance to see it up close and it has hit my heart. Over the course of the Sacramento and Morelia exchanges, I watched relationships form between leaders, artists, educators, and community members. I found Mayor Kevin McCarty's words replaying in my mind, "When the administration builds walls, we build bridges." As a Mexican artist, I feel this on a deeper level. While my ancestry is rooted in the region of northern Mexico and what is now the U.S. Southwest, Sacramento is home to more than 300,000 Michoacanos, making this deeply meaningful for so many. I've always believed in building bridges between cultures. That is evident most specifically in my ongoing Del Rio Trail Project honoring cultures indigenous to different continents, preserving their ancestral wisdoms, and call Sacramento home: https://www.newbirdstudio.com/seeded.
Watching people from two countries choose to learn from each other and connect reminded me that meaningful partnerships are more than what is on paper. It's an invested interest in each other's well-being, exactly what we need more of in these times. Well-being starts between people. Witnessing those bridges being built through my lens was an impactful gift. In fact, when I am doing any form of art I tend to assign it a word in reaction to what I am seeing. The word I gave to myself for this assignment was connection.
If someone comes to mind who could benefit from New Bird Studio's services, I'd be grateful if you shared this newsletter with them.
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