Night of the Luminarias

This simple decoration -- a handful of sand and a candle inside a paper bag -- is a Christmas tradition in the Southwest, symbolically lighting the way for the Christ Child. Each year, thousands of luminarias transform the plaza of Old Town Albuquerque into a peaceful wonderland, where the chill night air cannot overcome the warm glow from within.

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Date: December 24, 1989.
Time: unrecorded.
Camera: Canon AE-1 35mm SLR.
Film: Kodak Kodachrome 64 slide.
Focal length: 50 mm.
Aperture: unrecorded.
Exposure time: unrecorded.
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan LS-10E.