The city of Cuernavaca (kwehr-nah-vah-kah), the capital of Morelos state, is where Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés called home while “residing” in Mexico and built his enormous palace-fortress (now the Museo de Cuauhnáhuac) that now occupies the city zocalo (plaza).
The Aztecs called the city Cuauhnáhuac (“place by the woods”) and the Spaniards changed the name to Cuernavaca (“cow horn”) because they had a hard time pronouncing Cuauhnáhuac.
One evening I decided to photograph the city cathedral, but I encountered a big problem. That big problem turned out to be an enormous tour bus parked on the street blocking my view. I waited patiently for the bus to move as precious seconds ticked away, all the while the gorgeous light of the blue hour was quickly fading. Fortunately, the bus did move while there was still some decent light and in one frame I was able to make this creative composition.
Cuernavaca’s cathedral is enclosed in a high-walled compound and construction began on one of the first structures in the early 16th century. Talk about going back to the future!
Happy Travels!
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A night view of Taxco’s Zocalo (city plaza) and its beautiful Templo de Santa Prisca.
Allow me to take you from Southeast Asia to the beautiful country of Mexico. In July of this year I traveled back to Mexico City and explored new cities such as Puebla, Taxco, Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan.
Taxco ("tass-ko") de Alarcón is considered Mexico’s silver Mecca. It is a beautiful Spanish colonial town at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Since the town is located on a steep hillside the locals use Volkswagen Beetle (Bug) taxis to navigate the steep streets. They constantly roam the streets in a single file as if they were on an assembly line. You never have to wait more than a couple of seconds to flag down a taxi.
In the afternoon I wandered around the labyrinth of steep streets looking to photograph the town’s zocalo from a high vantage point. I found this very narrow street and returned in the evening for the “blue hour.”
It was a tight squeeze to setup my tripod along the very narrow street without being road kill as Volkswagen bug taxis were speeding behind me. If that was not enough concern, it started to rain and I was getting nauseated from ingesting all the car fumes.
I wanted to pack up my gear and leave, but I was waiting for the floodlights to illuminate the church. I finally asked a local about the lights and he said they only turn them on over the weekend. I took this last frame you see here before it started to really downpour. I packed up my gear, strapped on my photo backpack and headed downhill back to the plaza.
Here is a really important travel tip if you ever visit Taxco: Do not walk in the rain on a wet and slippery cobblestone street that has a steep decline.
As you can imagine, I lost my footing and was going to land on my back, but as any good photographer would do I protected my gear! With cat like reflexes, I quickly turned my upper torso and landed on my chest as if I was going to do a pushup (the locals were probably thinking who is this crazy foreigner doing pushups in the rain).
With a bruised wrist and ego, I quickly gathered myself up and ducked into the nearest bar to grab a beer.
Photography is not only an expensive habit; it can be dangerous to your health.
Happy Travels!
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The Amparo Museum in Puebla, Mexico houses a large collection of Pre-Hispanic, colonial, modern, and contemporary Mexican art. The museum is housed in two colonial buildings, one a mansion, the other a former hospital. Its modern interior makes a nice contrast with the exterior colonial architecture.
From a photographer’s point of view, the most important aspect of the museum is the incredible nearly 360-degree views of the Puebla skyline from the rooftop indoor-outdoor café and terrace.
I took this photograph from the interior of the rooftop café looking through the glass windows. I can perhaps boast that I walked around for an hour looking for this unique composition, but I would be embellishing the facts. I simply ducked inside to escape the scattered showers and on my way to the restroom this spectacular view caught my eye.
Sometimes I just get lucky, but I work hard at it!
Happy Travels!
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I have been posting photos from my trip to Mexico that I took earlier this year. As with most things, I did them in reverse. I started my travelogue with the city of Taxco and then Cuernavaca. Allow me to correct the chronological timeline.
In July of this year I took another sojourn to Mexico. I had a wonderful time traveling with my sister and her husband for the first part of my trip. We wandered the around the charming colonial town of Puebla, with a church on every corner. In fact, there are seventy churches alone in the historical center. Afterwards, we traveled two hours to Mexico City where I showed them some of my favorites places and discovered some new ones too. After Mexico City they flew back home and I went on to explore the cities of Taxco, Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan.
Puebla has a large historic center with magnificent architecture that has resulted in it being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its city plaza or zocalo is the perfect place to sit at an outdoor café, drink an espresso and people watch.
Not far from the zocalo is The Mercado de Artesanías (El Parián). It is a pedestrian-only, open-air shopping zone. Here you will see rows of old brick shops selling crafts and souvenirs. Bargaining is essential and a little prayer may help you get that great deal!
Happy Travels!
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Three of Taxco’s famous attractions: The Zocalo, Templo de Santa Prisca and a Volkswagen Bug taxi.
Taxco ("tass-ko") de Alarcón is considered Mexico’s silver Mecca. It is a beautiful Spanish colonial town at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Once an abundant silver mining town, it now thrives on its silver craft and tourism. It makes for a popular day trip from Mexico City, as it is located only 100 miles southwest from the capitol.
Taxco is a great walking town; that is if you don’t mind getting a workout from the steep, cobblestone streets. Taxco is perched on a sloping hillside 5,000 feet above sea level and the steep, cobbled, narrow and winding streets makes it a perfect fit for the compact Volkswagen Beetle (Bug). It is the only town in Mexico that still retains this classic car as a primary source of public transportation. With its rear wheel drive (the wheels do not spin on the slick cobblestone streets) and air-cooled engine, it is the perfect car to navigate the steep hills of Taxco.
The taxi driver’s modify these classic cars by removing the front passenger seat. This allows paying passengers to enter and disembark with ease. Also, the space serves as a “trunk” for luggage and shopping items. One handy modification is that they attach a rope to the passenger side door to close it once the passenger enters or exits the vehicle.
You have not experienced Taxco until you have taken a ride in a classic VW Bug taxi!
Happy Travels!
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