Not a political statement of right or wrong, simply an observation. Not an observation of the laws broken, but of the lives changed.
They come to America by the thousands each year if not by more in search of better jobs so that they can send the money they earn back home to support their family. Some have kids in the Latin American countries that stayed behind while others have aging parents unable to work.
That night before you leave your family behind in search of help to make ends meet, I can’t imagine. It would be a mixture of excitement, happiness, the fear of loneliness, the fear of failure and more.
“She packed my bags last night, preflight
Zero hour, nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high
As a kite by then
I miss the earth so much
I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no no no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out this fuse
Up here alone”
-Elton John, Rocket Man, released in 1972
Photo: Man from Guatemala who now lives along a river in Nashville.
MUSA
Slowly we sunk into the depth of the deep aqua colored sea descending about 28 feet for the first sculpture which appeared to be an explosive mind ready to detonate. As I swam north towards Isla Mujeres I came upon what looked to be a group of people frozen in time.
I noticed a small child sitting on an overturned bucket, a woman with her arms above her head as if she had just ran a race and was tired, unable to catch her breath. As I swam closer and deeper towards the silent crowd I witnessed what appeared to be a young man looking upwards in pain.
My scuba tank supplied my air and as I exhaled it almost gave life to some of the statues as bubbles of oxygen swarmed around the heads of the sculptures before me.
English sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor constructed over 500 life sized statues that were lowered into the Caribbean to demonstrate the interaction between art and environment. Each statue is attached to the seabed with material that promotes coral life allowing for the underworld of the sea to inhabit every square inch.
The exhibit is between the coast of Cancun and Isla Mujeres in Mexico.
The exhibit is called MUSA or Museo Subacuático de Arte. It was founded by Roberto Díaz Abraham, former President of the Cancun Nautical Association and Jaime González Cano, Director of the National Marine Park.
It's a family business
He is holding up a silver chain explaining the difference of his jewelry verses the jewelry many tourist buy on the streets. “This is real, see the weight difference,” he said as he weighed the chain offered in his store and then weighed a chain that is sold on the street.
Visiting the small shops is always a pleasure in cities throughout Mexico as you can see the definition of family. In this case, he works with both his mother and father at the family run business. His daughter watched TV as he waited on customers in the store. This is true for many of the businesses there.
Cemeteries in Mexico
Like many cemeteries in other countries, the handmade casket is in a vault above ground. Families often add their own taste of elaborate decorations and tiles to make each marker stand out and look unique.
Many of the cemeteries in the larger cities of Mexico are out of space. Therefore, when what are called burial rights expire, the remains will be dug up about 5 to 7 years after the original burial. At that time, the remains will be given to a family member in a black plastic bag. The family will then cremate the remains.
Sad, but true in the much more populated areas of Mexico.
Selling Braids
She was walking up and down the beach located on Isla Mujeres, which is a 20 minute boat ride from Cancun, while holding the head of a white female in her right hand. At first glance, it may appear to be a bit odd. But, on closer inspection the head was simply modeling the braids that she aims to put on long haired tourist for a small fee. The money that she makes helps to feed her family.
A large pizza
This fella was selling handmade jewelry by the roadside in Mexico. It appeared as if he had been there all day when I saw him at about 4pm. So, I gave him a large pizza. He chowed down instantly. Love doing little unexpected stuff like that.
Isla Mujeres
While the population is fairly small, so is the island.
The area is called Isla Mujeres, which is Spanish for “Island of Women.” Evidently, the island was sacred to the Maya goddess of childbirth and medicine.
The exact measurement of the small island in the Caribbean Sea is 4.3 miles long and 2,130 feet wide. It is home to about 12,600 residents. The Island of Women is 8.1 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula coast.
For Cubans trying to get into the United States, this small island is one of their first stopping points to rest. If they make it to the island, they only have to take a ferry to the Mexican mainland. From there, Cubans travel through Mexico in hopes of reaching the US border and then crossing.
This is one of the 12,000+ residents on the island.
Rest
Taking a rest after a days work in Mexico City where minimum wage is about $4.25 per day (U.S.$).
Start the day with fish
Preparing fish during the morning hours to be sold at lunch at a small restaurant in Mexico City. Notice, it is being prepared on the cafe table where customers will later be eating.
Lonely Streets in Mexico City
A lonely street on a Saturday morning in Mexico City. Employees of businesses stand and wait for the company they work for to open their doors for the day. Very few employees are key holders.
Mexico City Food Stands
Did you realize that over 75% of the population in Mexico City eats from food stands that are set up throughout the city at least once per week?
Everything from cow head, sheep, pork, steak to chicken and seafood are served on the street.
This is a photo of a man preparing a meal as he gets ready for the lunch crowd.
"I've seen zero evidence of any nation on Earth other than Mexico even remotely having the slightest clue what Mexican food is about or even come close to reproducing it. It is perhaps the most misunderstood country and cuisine on Earth." - Anthony Bourdain
The Catholic Church in Mexico
I shot this photo in a Mexico City Catholic Church on a Sunday afternoon.
Roman Catholicism was first introduced in Mexico during the period of the Spanish conquest that started in 1519. The Catholic Church had a powerful say in the governence of Mexico up until the end of the Mexican Revolution.
It was not until the end of the Mexican Revolution that the Catholic Church's role in Mexico was restricted constitutionally.
Over 101 million people in Mexico are said to be Catholic today. Mexico has the second largest Catholic population in the world, just under Brazil which is number one.
Stronger Than Yesterday
Mexico City is a very vibrant and youthful area filled with Latin rhythms and salsa dancing in the public parks along with a multitude of public workout areas.
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” —Ernest Hemingway
The Famed VW Beetle
He was attempting to start his small VW. After about the 4th crank, she started.
The first Volkswagen Beetle was introduced to Mexico in 1954. The car obviously caught on and by 1967, it was being produced in Puebla, Mexico. In 1968, the 100,000th Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico.
In 2004, Mexico was still producing the VW Beetle and while the engine was different, the car itself looked nearly identical to the 1954 model.
By 2006, the VW Beetle was highly utilized by taxi companies. In Mexico City where this photo was taken, there were 50,000 Beetles on the streets that were painted green and used as taxis. In 2017, there are only about 3,500 Beetle taxis still taking passengers from point A to point B.
In all, 21 million Volkswagen Beetles were manufactured in Mexico, all looking much like the first one from 1954.
Dressed to impress
(Street Photography) Impeccably dressed man in Mexico City (left) - He reminded me of Frank Sinatra, in a way.
"I'm not one of those complicated, mixed-up cats. I'm not looking for the secret to life... I just go on from day to day, taking what comes." - Frank Sinatra
He was fast asleep
The song by Craig Morgan came to mind after the writer of the song woke the sleeping man:
“I was afraid that he was dead
I gave him a gentle shake
When he opened up his eyes
I said, "Old man are you ok?"
“He said, "I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree"
I was runin' from some honey bees
Drip dryin' in the summer breeze
After jumpin' into Calico creek
I was walkin' down an old dirt road
Past a field of hay that had just been mowed
Man I wish you'd just left me alone
Cause I was almost home”
-Craig Morgan, Almost Home
Photograph captured in the Tepito market on a side street in Mexico City. Tepito is an area known for crime and and area largely governed by gangs. It is an area filled with kidnappings, shootings and robberies. However, this man was sleeping peacefully.
Poverty in Mexico
She was selling candy in order to help feed her children. 1 Peso for one pack of Chiclets gum. I bought 20 packs (all she had), but they tasted as if they had been sitting around for about two years - so my son and I left them in the hotel room for the maid.
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." — Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
Anything helps
He was sitting outside of a church in Mexico City with his hat extended seeking help.
Museo Memoria y Tolerancia
Mexico City has a massive museum called the “Tolerance Museum” or Museo Memoria y Tolerancia that displays the reality of genocide around the world. Multiple floors are dedicated to the Holocaust, Darfur and more.
Inside the museum is an Olive Tree that sits before the memorial for the children who were murdered in different genocides from around the world. Artist Jan Hendrix created this display using the Olive Tree as a visual motive behind her work called Lamento.
The sculpture is made up of 20,000 pieces of irregularly shaped glass (photographed).
When you exit the museum you have a new idea of what tolerance should be as opposed to racial or ethic divide.
“It's a universal law-- intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Historian and Russian Novelist (1918-2008)
Hipster Cafe in Mexico
In a Mexico City open air hipster café sits a hipster.
“Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.” - Urban Dictionary