Wash Heights Photographer's ‘Aqui Y Alla’ Depicts Decades Of Identity

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY - What did Washington Heights look like 50 years ago, and how has it changed after decades and several waves of immigration?

These questions and more are explored in Dominican-American photographer Winston Vargas’ newest photo book “Aqui Y Alla” (translation: “Here and There”) released last month, which highlights the Dominican community, identity and livelihood in the neighborhood that became known as “Little Dominican Republic.”

Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic in 1943, Vargas moved to Washington heights at the age of about nine, where the vibrant community consisted of immigrants from a swath of backgrounds: Puerto Ricans, African Americans, German Jewish and Irish residents, to name a few.

“I walk around and see an image before I take it,” Vargas said in a statement, translated from Spanish. “Photography is not about taking photos, it is the ability to see … no matter where you live, you can't escape who you are.”

Starting in the 1960s when Vargas was in his twenties, the first part of “Aqui Y Alla” traces waves of immigration on the blocks between 164th and 166th streets on Amsterdam Avenue, Vargas’ stint in the US Army in Italy, and his return to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic until 1984.

The book continues to illustrate Washington Heights’ impact from New York’s war on drugs, daily routines of neighborhood inhabitants like shopping and organizing, and the evolving Dominican identity in Washington Heights through depictions of the red, white and blue flag.

“Aqui Y Alla” is available for digital download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.