SAN MARCOS, Texas — We all have some big goals in our lives but, in San Marcos, there's an artist hoping to take a photo of every single person in town.
We all know photos can help us remember moments in time. It's an idea that Christopher Paul Cardoza is building his newest project around. He calls it the Martian Chronicle project.
"We're doing portraits of every single person in the city of San Marcos. Eventually, if I can get as close to 65,000 people as possible, we want to seal it in a time capsule," Cardoza said.
It's a lofty goal.
"I think someone did the math the other night, and they go, 'You realize at blah blah blah,'" he joked. "'You realize you're going to have to photograph X amount of people per day and you're still coming up with a 10-year cycle.-"
On average, it would be more than 17 people a day for 10 years. But, for him, it's a chance to give back, give back to a community that took him in.
"I am a recovering alcoholic with close to 10 years of sobriety. The community saved me," he said. "This gave me a whole new opportunity – why do I do this for them? Why do I take your pictures? Because I love you and I thank you and you saved me, and it's my way of giving back, you know."
It's his way to say thank you to those he knows well and to those he's just meeting – a thank you through pictures that can help us remember this moment in time.
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