The content: People commemorate the 27th anniversary of the Rio Negro Massacre at Pak’oxom Peak. The people are showing respect and grievance towards the loss of loved ones by lighting candles and writing their names on pieces of cardboard and rocks. People are standing rather still, and no one looks particularly happy. The woman in the front is the subject and she appears to be at great loss still even after almost 3 decades. It is apparent how much effort has been put into the memorial due to the way everyone is dressed in colorful clothes, the amount of candles that have been delicately lit and placed, and the wide assortment of flowers that have been picked and laid on the surrounding ground.
The composition: In order to capture the moment’s full weight Rodriguez chose to slightly underexpose the shot to give it a more heavy feel. This heaviness comes from the strength of the shadows in the image. Since it was dark he most likely used a shutter speed around 1/20 – 1/50 with an aperture on the wider side. This would allow more light to enter the shot while keeping things crisp. It also appears that there isn’t too much motion or blur going on in the setting so he most likely used a tripod. The slower shutter speed gives the candles more glow effect which would increase the amount of seriousness given off in the picture. I would also guess that he’s shooting with an ISO of around 800-1600.