A bit dirty, but facade of one of two twin mansions on Paseo Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán. Shot with Canon EOS-1 and Ilford HP+ black and white film.
Montejo Mansion
Category: Arqueológica
Palacio Cantón
Paseo de Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán
One of the top balconies of the Palacio Cantón, the largest of all the mansions in Paseo de Montejo. This imposing mansion was built between 1904 and 1911 to the design of Italian architect Enrique Deserti to be the home of General Francisco Cantón Rosado, the former state governor. In the Beaux Arts style, it has neoclassical and baroque architectural features. It is now home to the Regional Anthropology and History Museum, where ceramics, figurines, jewelry and other artifacts unearthed at the states many archeological sites are on display. Photo shot with Canon EOS-1 and Ilford HP+ black and white film.
Fachada
Centro Historico, Mérida, Yucatán
Canon EOS-1 with Ilford HP+ black and white film
Neoclassic facade
Centro Historico, Mérida, Yucatán
Canon EOS-1 with Ilford HP+ black and white film
Colores de Mérida.2
Los Colores de Mérida.1
Facades in Mérida run the gamut from white to vibrant colors. This is one of the more unusual colors I’ve found.
After an extended hiatus, I’m back…
The past year or so has seen me extremely busy finalizing the move to Mérida, Yucatán. We left the United States on October 21st and drove for five days through central Mexico to reach our home in Mérida.
The past two months have been devoted to settling in to our new country and home and there has been little time for photographic pursuits. I hope that changes and that I can, once again, find interesting images to share.
The historic center of Mérida is full of old colonial and colonial style homes, many of which have been reclaimed and renovated by American, Canadian, and European expats. It is not unusual to see a beautifully renovated home next door to an abandoned ruin. Entire families of Yucatecans live in many of these homes, from grandmother to grandchildren. Mérida is a vibrant city of about a million people, with excellent healthcare, great food, and kind people. It is a dream come true to live in such an amazing city.
Cuatro Obeliscos
More of the Ruins of Uxmal
I’ve been experimenting with some older shots of the ruins of Uxmal, Yucatán, post processing the raw images in color and then converting to black and white with additional manipulations. The resulting images are reminiscent of film noir. I could see them in the pages of a ‘pyramid treasure-robbing thriller”.
Doors
There are many old colonial-stile homes in the Centro Histórico of Mérida, Yucatán that have been renovated by extranjeros (foreigners), but the often abandoned or still occupied homes of the local people offer a glimpse of the former splendor of this historical city. The changing colors of many of the homes, over decades, have faded and blended into the soft tropical colors of the Yucatán. It is these architectural details that I choose to photograph.
The city of Mérida, having realized the significance of the historical center, in the past few years has begun a revitalization program that offers assistance to home owners in the renovation of the facades of their homes, and most recently has announced a plan to repair the crumbling sidewalks throughout the center.
Urban Images ... photographic exploration - art - musings 