Arena Coliseo, Mexico City
January 2016
Mexico
Mercado de Artesanias La Ciudadela, Mexico DF /
Mercado de Artesanias La Ciudadela
Mexico City, Mexico
January 2016
Downtown craft market with a mix of authentic and tacky items for sale. I bought some ceramics at the stall in this last photo with the most beautiful green and blue glazes.
La Lagunilla Flea Market, Mexico D.F /
La Lagunilla Market
Mexico City, Mexico
January 2016
An amazing place to shop on Sundays in Mexico City, this vintage/antique flea market is open air and runs for several blocks alongside a regular market in the northern part of downtown D.F. You can find everything from old cameras and lenses, to folk paintings, carved masks, jewelry, homewares and furniture. The regular market next door I assume is daily or at least both weekend days, and is full of (new) clothes, pirated CDs, fresh juices, tamales, flowers, vegetables etc. In the streets south of the market are blocks of stores selling quinceanera dresses and sparkly shoes.
Casa de los Azulejos, Mexico DF /
Casa de los Azulejos
Mexico City, Mexico
January 2016
The Casa de los Azulejos or "House of Tiles" is an 18th-century palace in Centro Historico in D.F. It is covered in white and blue tiles from Puebla on all three of its facades.
Dulcería de Celaya, Mexico DF /
Dulceria de Celaya
Mexico City, Mexico
January 2016
Candies, sugary nougats, chocolate coated nuts and truffles, all in a beautiful old store in the historic centre of Mexico City. it really does feel like stepping back in time when you walk in the door here. The last picture is candied coconut and lime served inside an actual lime peel.
San Cristobal /
San Cristobal de las Casas
August 2013
The photos of markets to photos of non-markets ratio on this blog is getting out of hand.
Masks /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Another amazing handmade find in Mexico. I bought a hand painted fox mask for a couple of dollars. He’s now hanging out on my bedroom wall.
San Cristobal /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
El Primo /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
I want tacos and ice cream on a summers’ day.
San Juan Chamula /
Street vendors
San Juan Chamula, Mexico
August 2013
Some fruit and vegetable stands.
San Lorenzo Zinacantan /
Textiles
San Lorenzo Zinacantan, Mexico
August 2013
We spent one amazing day in Zinacantan and Chamula in the mountains of Chiapas. These two small villages are Mayan settlements with incredibly different culture and traditions despite being 7 kilometers apart. We went on a very small tour (the two of us were the only participants), guided by a lovely Mexican man named Alex who was on first name terms with just about everyone we met or passed in the car. One of my favorite experiences was visiting the home of Maria in San Lorenzo Zinacantan. Maria made all of these textiles on her back strap loom set up against a tree outside her house. The white dress with the purple embroidery and white chicken feather trim (top photo) is a wedding dress. It is just beautiful, so beautiful.
It was sort of magical the way that all the Mexicans we met were so warm to us and interested to share their way of life. Inside Maria’s home we were treated to freshly made blue corn tortillas and slow cooked beans. Maria’s life looked difficult, her home was very sparse. She had hurt her knee badly when she was younger and her knee still gives her trouble. I can’t imagine how painful it would be for her back to sit at a back strap loom all day. Yet her textiles are so incredibly beautiful and intricate and joyful. I wish I could have asked her if making her textiles brings her joy, and what she thinks about when she goes into that meditative state that you enter when you craft by hand for hours.
Baked goods /
Artisans Market
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Stating the obvious here, but trying new food is probably my number one interest when traveling. This counter piled high with cookies and baked goods was like a page pulled directly from a book of my fantasy encounters with food. So. Good. I can barely even look at this photo because it makes me wish I had tried more of them now that I can properly stare at every cookie and weigh it against the other members of its cookie family.
Johnny Depp /
Artisans Market, San Cristobal de las Casas
Mexico
August 2013
We chatted in half English/half Spanish to a teenage girl selling textiles at the artisans market in San Cristobal for a few minutes. She was watching Edward Scissorhands on this ancient black and white tv in her stall. She said she loves Johnny Depp and has watched it hundreds of times.
Coffee /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Store front /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Just a corner store with Dora the Explorer hand painted on the facade.
Cool Hat /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Judging by the hat, I think it’s likely this man is totally awesome. I wish I could buy him a drink and ask him about his life.
Bugs /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
You should be able to make out at least three VW bugs in this photo. Jazz and I played punch buggy for four days in San Cristobal de las Casas and by the end of our stay my arm was really sore. I’m not sure why there are so many VW bugs in San Cris, but there were literally thousands. Probably every third or fourth car was a bug. It was kind of amazing. And painful.
Home in San Cristobal /
San Cristobal de las Casas
August 2013
I need a wide angle lens /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
On this trip I learned that it’s hard to capture a large building with a 50mm lens. I have never traveled with a prime lens before and I learned a good lesson. I will be investing in a wide angle lens before my next holiday!
Blues /
Oaxaca, Mexico
Some nice blues.