Favourite Photo's

Below are my choices of favourite pictures from my Mexico trip. I chose to narrow it down to five even though I could probably pick at least 50 and love every one.

So picture one shows a close up shot of a large scale 'catrina' that was placed out side of a little artisan shop in San Cristobal de las Casas. A 'catrina' is a depiction of a skeleton dressed in elegant clothes and usually a big hat. The idea was originally taken from the Mexican born engraver Jose Guadalupe Posada, who created a small illustration that represented the upper classes during the reign of a particularly unpopular president Porfirio Diaz. The original image is meant to communicate that it does not matter how wealthy and elegant you are, you are still as likely to die as any other person. However due to the skeletons presence the image has become synonymous with the 'Dia de los Muertos' celebrations and finding a 'catrina' similar to this in any shop or any street is not as rare as you might think.

I chose the next picture because of the three things that are represented in it. Firstly the tree you see on the left is no ordinary tree, it is in fact one of the oldest tree's in the world, estimated at nearly 1500 years old, and does possess the widest trunk of any tree in the world. The circumference measures 36 metres. Next to the tree is a beautiful church that was built specifically to accommodate the large tree and the annual celebrations that take place in homage to the 'miracle' of the tree. The third aspect shown is the blue and white 'papel picado', which is a popular form of paper decoration in Mexico. This particular decoration was present because of the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August, a date that we just missed by a few days.

The third pictures show the discarded cacti that are used in order to make 'mezcal', a particular type of tequila that is specific to the Oaxaca area of Mexico. The group went to an authentic mezcal manufacturing establishment and witnessed the whole process that is required to make this type of tequila. I thought this composition was interesting because with all cacti's cut up and discarded it is hard to tell what they once were. But infact the alcohol is made from the heart of these plants called maguey. This is the brand of tequila that is famous for having a worm in the bottom, a nice treat for the last person to drink from the bottle.

This fourth picture was taken whilst standing on the Pyramid of the Moon at the ruin site of 'Teotihuacan'. It's a great shot because it basically shows all the impressive sights available here, besides from the well preserved murals still visible in the residential areas. On this picture you can see the Avenue of the Dead to the right and the Pyramid of the Sun to the left. What's even more interesting about this site is that it has never been identified which group of indigenous people constructed it, but most think that it must have been the Toltec's. There are many myths about the two large pyramids and why there were constructed but the most popular being they were created after the self sacrifice of two god's who jumped into fiery pits. 

I chose this last picture because it captures the group trekking across a waterfall in the Palenque jungle. This day was probably the most testing of all days, as it involved a four hour trek through the dense jungle in the state of Chiapas. We had to walk through water and mud, over and under giant tree trunks, and up and down slippery slopes, where more than one person fell over. However it was so gratifying because at the end of the trek we witnessed an un-excavated temple in its natural state surrounded by tree's and then stepped out into the main archeological Palenque site, where we saw some of the most grand Mayan ruins ever. That is a definitely a day I will never forget.