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From 1974-78 Ruta lived in San Cristobal Las Casas, Chiapas, with his wife and children, in a house whose only water supply was a well that ran dry in April. Adjacent the well, a great tuft of calla lilies he painted in all seasons. At his funeral this past weekend, calla lilies were strewn across the coffin, among paintbrushes and a couple of old photographs. These paintings date from 1975.