New Youth Photos

I am continually updating the “Youth Photography” album, so click on it to see some of the most recent and best pictures they have taken.

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Excursion to Ek Balam

On July 6 I took my group of photographers to the ruins of Ek Balam. I wanted to give them a chance to travel out of their village, learn more about Maya archeology, take pictures and just have fun. Once there, we explored the reconstructed ruins and climbed the main structure measuring 96 feet in height and got a wonderful view of the rest of the ruins and the surrounding forest. On the right you can click on the “Ek Balam” slideshow to see pictures that both I and my group took. Below you can click on the short video that I made from the excursion.


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Youth Photo Exhibit a Success

Over a span of about an hour and a half some 100 people came out on July 2 to see the youth photo exhibit where we displayed 24 pictures at Xualtez’s town hall. The parents of the young people who exhibited their photos, along with dozens of other community members, came to enjoy their artwork. Below you can see a picture from the event and to see more you can click on the slideshow on the right called “Xualtez Photography Project” In the same album you can see them preparing their pictures for the exhibit. There is also an album called “Youth Photography” that contains photos they have recently taken, some of which will be used for a future exhibit.




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Tentative Dates for Exhibit and Excursion

On Wednesday I held a meeting with my group of young photographers to discuss their exhibit (see photo below). They decided to hold it on Wednesday, July 2. A few posts below you can see a preview of the photos they are going to exhibit. I also began letting them share my Canon SD750 digital point and shoot camera.

I also revealed to them that I was sponsoring a trip to take them to the ancient Maya ruins of Ek Balam a little over an hour from Xualtez. They set the date for July 6. I first took a group to Ek Balam in 1999 when the ruins had recently opened and archaeologists were still in the initial phases of uncovering and reconstructing the ruins. We were the only visitors there, but there were dozens of local men working on reconstruction. This time more ruins will have been reconstructed and there will certainly be more tourists. Few young people from Xualtez have even been to the famous ruins of Chichén Itza, at about an equal distance from their community, so this will be a new experience for everyone involved. Since Ek Balam is off the well-beaten tourist path between Merida and Cancun, less tourists visit, so we hope to not have our views blocked by mobs of people like you find at Chichén Itza.

August 1999 Group at Ek balam


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Youth Photo Exhibit Preview

These pictures, taken by children from Xualtez, are a sample of about two dozen that I will be organizing into an exhibit this summer. They range from the aftermath of hurricane Emily in 2005 to photos of relatives in 2007.

taken by Juan Osorio Chan

taken by Mariana Poot Osorio


taken by Grisel Cab Albornoz

taken by Gustavo Osorio Chan

taken by William Albornoz Uitzil

taken by William Albornoz Uitzil

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This summer...

...I will be returning to Yucatan as I have many times since the first time I came 11 years ago. This year I plan to visit friends, continue researching cultural change and cultural identity, do photography workshops and exhibits with young people, and work on my own photography projects. Since I will not have consistent Internet service to send out many emails I decided to start this blog. I hope to be able to post updates several times during the summer.

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