Eighty miles north of Madrid, Spain lies a small town of about 500 people that is walled in an old medieval style with only one entrance/exit for access. Every year during the first and second Saturdays of July, Pedraza celebrates ‘la noche de las velas’ or The Night of the Candles. It is a 21-year-old tradition that began in order to increase tourism, and all the proceeds from the event go toward restoring the 1000-year-old town. During the festivities the townspeople turn off all lights and place candles in the windows of their homes.
Today’s Exposing the Occult photos were taken by 28-year-old Madrid, Spain native Raquel Toraño-Mark. Toraño-Mark is a senior exchange student majoring in Art Studio. In Madrid, before studying Art Studio, Toraño-Mark studied graphic design for four years at the Real Casa de la Moneda (Royal Mint) in Madrid. Toraño-Mark hopes to complete a master’s degree in marketing or public administration at UNM.
