In July 2020, amidst the pandemic I travelled to Mayan riviera, Mexico.
Although my stay there was short, I had the chance to explore and document different places that are usually filled with tourists. These images are a selection from over a 1000 images I’ve taken there.
For a more complete set, as well as additional text, please check the blog post below.
Palms with the moon in Cancun, Mexico. This view greeted me upon arrival.
Old Opel Corsas (branded as Chevy here) are still being sold in Mexico. This one, however, is not new.
Sunset with the moon over Cancun Mexico. This is the view from Puerto Cancun, one of the richer neighbourhoods of Cancun where people live and that is not meant for tourists.
Cancun has not existed 50 years ago, and is constantly rebuilding. This building in Puerto Cancun was set to open in 2020 and was shrouded in controversy since the beginning of the construction.
I arrived to Cancun, MX in July 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Usually overcrowded markets were empty. My guides didn’t allow me to get out, as the safety was not guaranteed in these areas.
The cornerstone of every market in Mexico are the (almost) handmade tortillas. The price per-pound of tortillas is one of the most important economic markers in Mexico.
Being alone without tourists though allows for getting the best choice of fish from the local fish markets. In this particular case, I got the nicest example of a local fish from Sparus genus which I used to traumatise Tamy and Manuel.
Enjoying the market goods. Mexico is famous for delicious fresh fruit and this particular mango didn’t disappoint.
A boating trip from Cancun to closed beaches and coral reefs of Isla Mujeres with my guides Manuel and Tamy. Shielding from the sun is essential.
The entire trip costed less than $300 for 4 hours and some tasty fresh coconut water.
Mexico hides some wonderful gems. Here Manuel and I were visiting the collection of one of the prominent car collectors and the organiser of the Mayan classic car rally. This particular car belonged to a Nazi official and was imported from Argentina.
Visiting the collection of one of the prominent car collectors and the organiser of the Mayan classic car rally.
Driving was one of the few luxuries we allowed ourselves due to fear of the pandemic. Tropical storms are commonplace here and come and go in span of minutes.
One of my favourite parts of this trip were a few minutes alone for street photography in Puerto Morelos.
Although predominantly catholic, the chatolicism of Mexico took its own path, believing and praying to the saints over the guy up there. Unlike the traditional one, I found this one rather uplifting.
One of the most interesting part of the "culture" is their dealing with death. For them Mr. and Mrs. Death are friendly acquaintances. The graveyards are fun and imaginative. This guy apparently died in a car accident and loved driving fast - hence his grave was shaped like a car.
We went up to Tulum, the most exclusive party/vacation spot of Mayan Riviera.
And enjoyed some of the solemn moments there.
Along the way, we stopped to Xcaret. I had my hat made by hand by local artisans.
Cacao is one of the products natively from Yucatan. Here we learned how it’s made into drinks we know and love today.
Juan is making bread and serving (overly sweet) traditional mexican spiced coffee called Cafe de Olla.
A signs of the pandemic.
Beauty is in the colours and the details.
Ana & Hugo walking on the beach at sunset.