[6] Montoya's work from the 1990s is noted for its exploration of spirituality through the use of Catholic iconography and Mesoamerican folklore images such as the Sacred Heart, Virgin of Guadalupe, La Llorona and Doña Sebastiana.
The art piece incorporates photographs, videos, digital prints as well as actual objects found left behind along the US-Mexico border.
In the mixed media installation, the centerpiece is a black and white photograph of a shirtless hand-cuffed man named Felix Martínez who has his back towards viewers revealing a vibrant tattoo of the Virgin.
Montoya's photograph series of the Sacred Heart replicates historical casta paintings, which often depicted the social hierarchy between the Spanish, mestizos, indigenous, and African descendants during colonial times.
Examples of her Sacred Heart photograph series include Los Jovenes, an image portraying Chicanx youth and their barrio ties, La Genizara, an image portraying a mestiza girl in traditional indigenous clothing with Catholic symbols around here, and La Melinche, a depiction of an indigenous child stripped away from her innocence and Hernán Cortés' bride.
[1] Delilah Montoya's photographic expression of colonialism, religion, and the sport of boxing is intricately linked to her identity as a Chicana woman, a perspective that underscores her navigation of the gendered aspects of spatial dynamics.