Mexico

Between 1986 and mid 1990 I was fortunate enough to spend the best part of 18 months backpacking around South and Central America. Sadly I only had an compact camera for a lot of that time, though I'd got a Pentax ME Super by the time I reached Mexico. The photos you can see in this gallery are not the best I've ever taken, these are very much the photos of someone who's learning and developing his eye, and some pics have suffered because of what seems to be a dodgy lense and light getting into the camera. Another good reason for going digital! I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do remembering taking them.

  • In and around Mexico City (20)

    Mexico City is a vast sprawling web of roads, squares and parks. It's old and new, hi-tech and historic. It's straight lines are often twisted and around every corner there's always another surprise. A fantastic place, I love it.
     

  • Mexico City History and Archeology (10)

    Mexico City has more archeology per square metre than any other capital city in the world. The best place to get a glimpse of the awe-inspiring history is at the Anthropological Museum. Or take a walk to the Zocalo and put yourself at the very centre of the Aztec empire.
     

  • Teotihuacan (8)

    Not only is this site almost as big as Mexico City, the civilisation that built it actually died out before the Aztecs arrived.
     

  • The road to Xalapa, and beyond. (8)

    I lived in Xalapa, Vera Cruz on and off for about three months. it has great views of mount Orizaba and an unknown volcano, and a massive archeologocal museum. The massive Olmec heads have to be seen to be believed: a visit is strongly advised.
     

  • Palenque (10)

    I love this place. Hiding in the jungle-covered hills, Palanque was the first of the Mayan sites I visited. Here you can walk amongst the wonderful buildings of this beautiful and peaceful Mayan city, admire the view to across to the horizon and slip into the trees and back in time. You can read how I felt about being there in my short story, Arriving, which is in the Travel Writing folder.
     

  • The Yucutan Peninsula (10)

     

  • Uxmal (3)

     

  • Chi Chinitza (17)

     

  • Refugee camp, Mexico-Guatemala border 1990. (10)

    We visited this site which was very close to the border with Guatemala. The people, who if I remember correctly were trying to escape the violence in their own country, were very friendly, especially the children, despite their living conditions. The pictures the boys are holding show what they dreams were all about.