Yes, more travel photos...

One year after creating my Web site of travel photos from Ecuador and Peru, one year after I vowed to never to it again because it was so many hours of work, here I am again: writing the introduction to my three week vantage point on Mexico and Guatemala. And once again, there is so much to show.

While ostensibly less exotic than the Andes, Mexico and Guatemala were more accessible even in their difference—from America and each other. I felt comfortable in Mexico from the minute I landed in sprawling DF (Mexico City), and that sense of ease never waned. This was a land of indigenous dress and mini-skirts, of nortena ballads and pop songs. While Guatemala was less connected to its northern neighbor, people here were incredibly friendly and things worked remarkably well given the country’s decades of civil strife.

We traveled really hard. After my week in Oaxaca alone, Todd and I spent the following two weeks covering almost 700 miles and hitting nine cities. We got the travel rhythm down to a science, juggling multiple guidebooks and going on our gut instincts. We honed a crucial skill—finding the one good bar in almost every town—and with it, opened a door to youth culture and after parties.

I was more emboldened with my photography this trip. Using some of the same techniques as last year (like hiding my lens under a jacket or shooting out of windows), I also asked people if I could take their picture. This bore fruit, with some good shots of woman making food or selling crafts. At the trip’s end, I had completely filled my digital cameras memory card.

Sadly, I didn’t feel comfortable documenting our late-night adventures. Nor did I feel safe clicking extensively in Guatemala (there were rumors that photographers taking pictures of children were using these to sell babies into adoption!) And safety was a concern—Todd had a nasty brush with violence in San Cristobal.

But this was an incredibly smooth and satisfying trip. I invite you to take a peak at what we saw (and all the hard work that it took me to make this!) Feedback, as always, is appreciated.

Heather Haddon

Funny animal findings: in nature
Three boats, two bathing suits, one horse: in San Pedro
Inexplicably long port-a-potty lines: in Mexico City
Color: in Oaxaca
Mountains of cookies and olives: in San Cristobal
Turquoise waters: in Mazunte
Marimba players and marching bands: in art
Portraits of protest: in politics
The shoeshine man line-up: in Xela
Playing soccer with 18th century ruins: in Antigua
A clandestine, moonlighting Chinese restaurant: in Guatemala City
Chocolate, chilies, and chapulines (grasshoppers): in food
Trucks carrying beauty queens: in society