Y Tu Mamá Clara También: The Mejias in 1976

Have you guys ever seen Friday the 13th: The Orphan—that weird, Alice Sweet Alice-ish horror movie from the 1970's about the murderous drag queen kid who kills everyone? And, like, Janis Ian sings the theme song?

Well, these snapshots have nothing to do with that movie, but it's Friday the 13th! This collection I found appears to have been taken in late 1976, at 1776 Sweetwood Drive in Broadmoor, California—and this first picture is kinda spooky.

This was Clara Aceituno, aka Mama Clara. She was about 62 years old in this photo. She was born on August 14th, 1914 in Mataquescuintla, Guatemala. The terrified girl in the background is her grand-daughter, Maria Olga. Not sure what she's scared of. Or why she's wearing scrubs.

*

These photos aren't very scary. They're of Mama Clara cradling some random white baby. Mama Clara passed away on November 7th, 1990. By all accounts, she was a terrific woman.

*

This was Julio Enrique Mejia, el yerno de Mama Clara. Julio was born on August 21, 1937 in Guatemala, and emigrated to the United States via New Orleans at some point in the 1960's. I wish I could tell you more—but, um, my secretary accidentally forgot to pay for Ancestry dot com this month.

Anyway, my thoughts on the Mise-en-scène in this collection: love the chair, love the books, love the plant, love the rug, love the shirt, love the wine. Honorable mentions to the linoleum, wood paneling, and Mama Clara's awesome vintage outfit—that appears to be made from Frieze?

And can anyone identify those wine bottles? I'm thinking Almaden?