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

Elvis Played Here

Inside the Nashville RCA Studio B you will find this old piano that has many stories written within its strings. One of those stories being Elvis Presley sitting behind the keys playing his favorite gospel songs surrounded by friends singing before actually recording a song or two.

The studio was built in 1957 by Dan Maddox and used by many greats throughout the years up until 1977, the year that Elvis died. However, the closing had nothing to do with the King. The studio was already scheduled to close, ironically nearly a full year before Presley’s death.

Today, the studio still stands and looks almost identical to the way it looked when the greats like Chet Atkins, the Everly Brothers and of course Elvis used it in the 60’s. In fact, most if not all of the equipment still remains within its small acoustically perfect walls.

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

In the doorway

Tucked away on the doorsteps to a closed office building in Mexico City he is at a place that he considers to be home. The building is vacant, other than his watchful eye next to the large glass doors that have not been opened in years.

"Being homeless is like living in a post-apocalyptic world. You're on the outskirts of society.
 - Frank Dillane, English actor

The face you see

Quietly sitting and looking upwards as pedestrians passed him by on a sunny Saturday afternoon in bustling Mexico City he had a yogurt, an apple, a piece of candy and a baked good in front of him. As people neared, he would extend his hat in an effort to seek a few pesos.

The poverty rate has been on a steep increase since 2006 in Mexico. Today, 42.9% of Mexicans live below the national poverty line. For a comparison, America has a poverty rate of 14.5% and that number has actually been on the decline.

“Underneath my outside face
There's a face that none can see.
A little less smiley,
A little less sure,
But a whole lot more like me.” 
― Shel Silverstein, Every Thing on It

Child's Play in Mexico City

This young child wanders away from his friends who are celebrating a nearby party in Mexico City. 

"A person's a person, no matter how small." — Dr. Seuss

Standing in the hot sun

He stands hour after hour in the hot sun on the grounds of an ancient pyramid near Mexico City selling souvenirs in an attempt to make enough pesos to feed his family.

20 Pesos are what the lion noisemakers cost for some while others pay the full price of 30 pesos. It all depends on who bargains with him to get the lower price.

Out of country tourist confused by the exchange rate, sometimes pay as much as 100 pesos for the same item made of plastic. Regardless, the money is not being used in a negative way – it is simply allowing for a family to eat.

Mexico City - Homeless

Homeless in Mexico City. 

"Give yourself a chance
You have something special
That nobody else can claim
Deep inside your heart
Shines a revelation"

-Santana - "Hard Times" 

Religions cross paths

Three friends, two religions... sitting on the edge of a 300-foot high pyramid made by residents from a different religion in 250 B.C. 

The Aztecs called the ancient architectural marvel the 'Birthplace of the Gods.' The Aztecs were intrigued by the structures that they found just as they still sit today.

The pyramids are known as the Teotihuacán Pyramids. They sit about 30-miles outside of Mexico City.

The Mexico Pay Gap

There is a lot of dislike for U.S. President Trump in Mexico. I did not fully understand the reasoning until a visit to Mexico City. I now understand more about the situation. Keep in mind, I fully believe to become an American resident, you need to go through all legal avenues. However, my visit did allow me to get a better grasp on why so many struggling families in Mexico want to make that journey to the United States.

The manufacturing industry in Mexico is very alive with America being one of the largest importers of Mexican made goods. With extra taxes on the imports as proposed, it will potentially drive Mexican families into deeper despair in an already impoverished area. But, is this an American problem or a Mexico issue?

Currently, about 40% of the residents in Mexico live in complete poverty earning between $4 and $8 per day. Furthermore, 5.1 million residents in Mexico live off of $2 or less per day in income.

The schools in Mexico are not doing well, which means children lack a good education. 48 Percent of state schools have no access to sewage while 31 percent have no drinking water. Another 11% of schools operate without any electricity.

Despite the sound of things, Mexico is actually the 15th richest country in the world. While this may sound a little hard to believe after reading through my statistical post, it is quite true.

That being said, is the problem with America adding taxes to imports or is the problem within the Mexican government and the manufactures failing to pay employees for their hard labor efforts?

In other words, if Mexico is to change their poverty rates, the focus should be on large employers taking a new approach to their employees and actually valuing their workers by increasing their pay.

What I learned is that Mexican manufacturing companies are taking full advantage of their employees by paying them $4 to $8 daily for 8 full hours of work. The heads of these companies are gathering wealth at a record pace by not helping the employees that make them wealthy.

Living in the shadows

Mexico City: He lives in the shadows of everyone, unable to clearly speak or think. In this photo, he is looking into the window of a store watching people shop as if he is imagining what it would be like to do the same.

Organ grinders and accordion players

Organ grinders and accordion players are scattered throughout Mexico City. They can often be found in front of restaurants and sometimes, even inside. In the slums and the rich areas alike, music fills the air.

Music and art are two things that Mexico City has a lot of. While the city is filthy throughout, it is also artistically rich. Graffiti can be found on every corner… some good and some simple gang markings. 

The city has well over 100 art studios, galleries or museums. 

The city also has an exact replica of the Empire State Building. Well, maybe not exact. While it looks the same, it is considerably shorter than the real deal. The building in Mexico City is 44 stories tall and the real building in New York is 102 stories tall. 

Life in Mexico City

Mexico City has the 5th largest homeless population in the world. In fact, 40% of the total population in Mexico is living in poverty. The number of those who are homeless in Mexico City rings in at about 30,000 people.

Because Mexico City is so densely populated, many of the inner city parks have been transformed into homeless campgrounds.

As for the highest homeless population in the world, Manila, Philippines takes that dishonor.