A Visit to Playa del Carmen

In the past 10 years at least a dozen Xualtez families have moved to the booming tourist town of Playa del Carmen about an hour south of Cancun. Every year I make an effort to see them and keep up with the changes in their lives. As part of my ongoing photography of young people, this year I am making an effort to take photos of children I photographed years ago. By doing this I am documenting their own development, whether it be toddler to teenager or child to adult, and the changes they are experiencing as they grow older. One of my most well known pictures is of Ana Ku Cocom who now lives in Playa del Carmen with her grandparents. Below is a comparison between August, 1999 and August, 2008. Ana is 12 years old. You can also look at the most recent pictures in my “Portraits” album for more from Playa del Carmen.

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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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New Portraits

Over the past few weeks I have added dozens of new photos. Just click on the “Portraits” and “Pets” albums to see the newest pictures.

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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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New Photos

New Photos

I have added several photos to my “Portraits” album including ones from both the primary and secondary schools. Classes are winding down and students are mostly practicing their dance routines for their graduation ceremonies.

I have also created a new "Pets” folder where you can see children with a variety of animals. This time of year it is easy to capture young, wild animals found while working on ranches, collecting firewood or while hunting. The Yucatan’s yellow-lored parrot is the most common wild animal that becomes a pet, however occasionally you will see families with white-tail deer and young coatis, or pizotes as they are known locally.

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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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2008 Portraits

You can see some very recent portraits by clicking on the new slideshow to the right. I will be updating it from time to time.

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Recent House Improvements

I first went to Xualtez in early 1998 while doing an internship as a student at OU. After returning several times, the community gave me a piece of land on the eastern side of the village on the edge of the jungle. In 2000, I hired a few men to build me a simple, traditional hut of wood and palm thatch. I tapped into the community water system fed from a tower a few blocks away and began having traditional stone fence built. Over the past eight years I have finished my stone fence, planted coconut, almond, banana, orange, lime and other trees in my yard along with some medicinal plants. I attached a small room to shower in, got the house wired for electricity and had a concrete floor poured.

Before arriving this year, I had a wooden gate built where the opening of my stone fence the goes to the street. I also had roof replaced with new palm—it took 1,500 palmetto leaves! Finally, I had my “shower room” sided with boards and the tarpaper roof replaced with a metal one that now extends to cover a small section just outside my back door forming a tiny porch area. Below are a few recent pictures.

New Satellite Photos of Xualtez

In the past few months Google has updated a section of their satellite photographs on their online maps and on Google Earth. The new section now includes Xualtez, the community where I work and live. The color is not very accurate, but the detail is much better than surrounding areas. Here is a screen capture of a view from Google Earth:

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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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