“All the vegetables that are for export, well, they pass through the hands of a laborer.”

— Cresencio Ramirez, director general of the Network of Indigenous People of Sinaloa

Los Angeles Times photojournalist Don Bartletti traveled across nine Mexican states, observing conditions and interviewing workers at some of the mega-farms that have powered the country's agricultural export boom. Here are some of those laborers.

Photos taken September-December 2013 and March-April 2014. Ages given were at the time of photograph.

Additional credits: Digital Producers and Developers: Honest Charley Bodkin and Armand Emamdjomeh. Digital Design Director: Stephanie Ferrell