Shane Antony

Mexico: Undiscovered

Just south of the border, Mexico has a rich and unique cultural history that is seldom seen by most Americans. To provide some historical context, Mexico is the name given by the Spanish colonizers to the New World territory that they had discovered. The origin of the word Mexico comes from the fact that indigenous inhabitants of the city of Tenochtitlan, or what is now Mexico City, called themselves the "Mexicas." The Mexicas were, in fact, a population of Aztecs that had split off from other Aztecs in Coatepec near Tula. They had left Coatepec to found another city; they arrived at their destination, Tenochtitlan, due to the omen given by their deity, Huitzilopochtli, of an eagle standing on a nopal and eating a serpent. Per historians, Huitzilopochtli was also known as "Mexi". The derivation of Mexica is thus "sons of Mexi."

These photos of Mexico that I have taken capture many of the pre-Spanish architecture and accomplishments of the indigenous people of Mexico. Additionally, I have taken numerous shots of monuments and buildings constructed during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Of particular note are the photos of Teotihuac. The photos of Teotihuac depict the ruins of a city, which saw its peak during the early centuries AD and was the sixth largest city in the world during its period of greatest prosperity in 400 AD. Teotihuac is considered one of the most impressive ancient, indigenous sites in the Americas.

Often Mexico evokes images of poverty and pollution, which are unfortunately characteristic of many developing nations. However, Mexico holds many cultural treasures of incredible beauty that cause one to wonder at the skills of ancient civilizations and marvel over the achievements of man in the modern era. I hope that these photos uncover an aspect of Mexico unknown to many and completely captivating to all.