Calavera de Vaca, Los Dinamos, Distrito Federal

Los Dinamos is a large park in the mountains in southern Mexico City.

Local Verde Azul, Mercado la Merced, Distrito Federal

Local de Elote, Mercado la Merced

Local Morado, Mercado La Merced, Distrito Federal

Altar, Centro Historico, Mexico City

Mysteries of Tepito

Tepito is a neighborhood north of the central zocalo in mexico city. its an important cultural symbol for mexicans, in some aspects comparable to the role the "south bronx" holds in the american imagination. ive been told tepitenos have their own accent. daily, there are massive street markets where, supposedly, one can purchase just about anything, including stolen and pirated wares. known for purse snatchings, shoppers should be able to run fast to catch up with or avoid "rateros". want to know more about tepito? read "the children of sanchez," a classic anthropological study of a family in this neighborhood during the 1950's, by Oscar Lewis.

Zocalo, La Cuidad de Mexico

Mexican caricature by Vargas

Poster of Phoenix

Sands of Penasco (Slide show)

I've winnowed down my shots of camping/painting trip to Penasco in March. Here it is:

http://public.fotki.com/charker/puertopenasco/?cmd=fs_slideshow

Night in Nogales

This is one image from a slide show. I spent a few hours on friday nite strolling the main street of Nogales, Sonora. Nogales is the biggest border town along the Arizona border and has a somewhat unsafe, aggressive character. To see the complete slide show follow this link: http://public.fotki.com/charker/nogalesatnite/?cmd=fs_slideshow

Puerto Penasco, Provincetown, Fire Island?

I put the 3 names in the title together because this is the first attempt by a human being to combine them. they are the same species. before this moment, rocaportenses (spanish term for residents of rocky point/puerto penasco) were unknown to populations of the other two, and vice versus. like Cris Columbus, or more likely, the vikings, ive blended intelligence of the new world resort on the sea of cortez and the old ones hanging at the edge of the atlantic. like the viking discovery - this one might end up as the majority of mutations, sperms and seeds, failing to create something new and advantageous. how long will it be before andrew sullivan, john waters and kevin sessums are vacationing in Las Conchas instead of P-town? rhetorical question. probably not by next monday when im planning to return to Puerto Penasco. sadly i wont have much in common with the rocaportenses but equally ill be relieved of having to compare my own achievements to the great gay artists and intellectuals from the east should i have spotted one of them strolling along the malecon. ill be in my cultural tower of babel or behind a one way mirror, unable to find locals, for their lack of interest, to communicate with me in language of my values and interests. but i'll understand them, in english or spanish since i can and must if i don't want isolation sickness. i refer to the mexicans, gringos and pochos who dont know much nor care about gay, artistic, intellectual life in New York, San Francisco and Mexico City. that life i miss in the deserts. It had been a while since i'd spent much time in penasco. i felt too isolated and had lost interest. its a huge contrast to my life in manhattan for 18 years and san francisco for 8 years before that and the many long stays in Mexico City during the last decade. the growth is astounding in penasco, sometimes called the "Mexican Dubai". all the investment in tourist infrastructure and second homes for wealthy arizonans results in opportunities for mexicans from the south who migrate with much less money. they are creating humble communities spreading out into the vacant, enormous desert, such as the one pictured above on the side of town heading towards the Mayan Palace.

Ensenada, Baja California

I took a trip to Ensenada in Baja California. It is a gray city due to the dry landscape and the moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Inland from Ensenada, however, is a wine growing region with oak trees in the valleys and arroyos. The atmosphere is clear and light.

Lavender

Phoenix

While walking up a mountain I see so many spectacular views. Yet, the same views recorded by the camera can be uninteresting. I'm trying to make a photograph that I'll be able to return to and want to "get inside".

This is a shot from North Mountain Park in the heart of North Phoenix.

Magdalena de Kino, Sonora

I just returned from a few days exploring between Nogales and Santa Ana, Sonora, a stretch of about 60 miles. Magdalena, perhaps the most pleasant town here, was founded in 1688 by Father Kino. His skeleton is on view at the bottom of a pit in the central square where it was discovered by investigators.
It was raining a lot and flowers were blossoming in the desert. I photographed these poppies outside of town against stormy sky.

Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona

Ambos Nogales (Both Nogales'). Perhaps El Greco, the famous Greek/Spanish painter would have felt at home in the Nogales'. The setting reminds me of Toledo in the famous painting, "View of Toledo" http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/greco/toledo.jpg. The international border fence is notable on the hill in the center of the photo.

Hermosillo, Sonora

I spent a day in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, adjacent to Arizona. It was a pleasant adventure. I was impressed with the gentler life of the city as compared with border towns like Nogales and Tijuana. Hermosillo has quiet parks and plazas in the center. The old city has 100's of historic buildings.

Don Jose y Khacho

Don Jose and Khacho visiting the beach in front of Casa Zen II (Pueblo Solar). Don Jose is the founder of Casa Zen. He arrived in Mazatlan about 16 years ago. Khacho is a buddhist monk in the Kadampa tradition. She has been around Mazatlan for over 20 years and co-owns a restaurant. She is currently living in a Kadampa temple in Tucson, Arizona and visits from time to time.

Coconut Collecting

Friday I went to help out at Pueblo Solar. It´s a branch of Casa Zen being built 5 miles south of Isla Piedra (and Mazatlan). The project is intended to be an energy self sufficient retreat center. Roberto (pictured) and I worked on building a septic hole (fosa septica) for the toilet drainage. After finishing the hole we poured a layer of gravel into it. Then we went to collect dried out coconuts to create the next layer.