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Travel Pictures - MEXICO - 1994

All images © Ron Miller

     I entered Mexico at Tijuana and traveled down the Baja Peninsula before crossing the Gulf of California to visit the Copper Canyon on the mainland. From the lovely town of Creel I traveled south by bus to the Silver Cities of Central Mexico and then to Mexico's beautiful Pacific coast. After a brief stay in Mexico City, I continued toward Guatemala with a stop in the state of Chiapas where remnants of the ancient Mayan culture were still flourishing.

A lovely zocalo and cathedral in the capital city of the Mexican state of the same name -
Chihuahua, Mexico
Many Americans may not realize that Mexico is much older than the United States.
In fact, decades before the Declaration of Independence, Mexico's beautiful
colonial cities were already flourishing from mining profits. Today, Mexico
still ranks second in the world in the production of silver -
Zacatecas, Mexico
From this patio at El Mirador, the cone of Paricutin is clearly visible. This volcano unexpectedly
emerged from a cornfield in 1943 to the great surprise of a farmer tending his field! -
Paricutin, Mexico
My hiking partners gather as we prepare to ascend the volcano Paricutin.
The cathedral of San Juan can be seen between the girls at left -
Paricutin, Mexico
Approaching the symmetrical cone of Paricutin across jagged chunks of hardened lava - some of it still smoking!-
Paricutin, Mexico
The towers of the cathedral of San Juan are all that is left of the two towns that were
covered with lava from the volcanic eruptions of Paricutin that began in 1943 -
Paricutin, Mexico
The unfinished towers of the San Juan Cathedral rise defiantly above the hardened lava -
Paricutin, Mexico
Approaching Janitzio Island by ferry. This wonderful tourist attraction is like a Spanish town set atop a Greek Island -
near Patzcuaro, Mexico
Are these Mexican boys "greeting" arriving tourists or are they in search of candy money? The 130-foot-tall statue (atop hill) with a
raised, clinched fist is a macho version of the Statue of Liberty that is dedicated to the revolutionary leader Jose Maria Morelos -
Janitzio Island; Patzcuaro, Mexico
On this day, Mexico City's main zocalo was occupied by several indigenous protestors
(dressed in white) disseminating literature about their missing leaders -
Mexico City, Mexico
The Pyramid of the Sun is the third tallest pyramid in the world and much easier to climb than the Giza pyramids in Egypt -
Teotihuacan, Mexico
A pointed reminder of Mexico's unique cultural history -
Teotihuacan, Mexico
The "Dance of Papantla's Flyers" is a ritual possibly originating with the Totonac Indians -
Teotihuacan, Mexico
The ingenious structure uses only gravity to send the "Voladores" (flyers) on a spiraling flight back to the earth -
Teotihuacan, Mexico
This photo was taken near the end of a not-so-successful acclimatization hike -
Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
Magical sunrise during the ascent of Popo (Rob and Chloe in foreground) -
Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
A sunrise worth another look -
Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
Climbing with ice ax and crampons near the volcano's 17,802-foot summit. I was all smiles and thrilled
with my first climbing experience - that is, until the onset of altitude sickness -
Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
My climbing partners are jokingly shouting, "Ron, will you hurry up?" as we near the smoking volcano's summit.
My fellow climbers did not realize that I was suffering from the altitude and was unable to maintain their pace.
It did not help my ego considering the fact that I could not even keep up with Chloe - a ballerina! -
Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
Rob and Chloe are celebrating on the crater rim and, unlike me, they are NOT suffering from altitude sickness. Notice the yellowish,
discolored snow on the "crater" side of the rim. Not only was there a lack of oxygen on the rim but a strong smell of sulfur as well.
Only two months after our ascent, the volcano spewed gas and ash prompting the evacuation of nearby towns  -
Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
This quiet Mexican beach resort was a delightful spot to recover from altitude sickness -
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
This amazing canyon, with 2,500-foot cliffs, is easily viewed from the Grijalva River -
Sumidero Canyon, Mexico
This street market is a good place to meet the local Indians and experience the remnants of the ancient Mayan culture -
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico
The local Indians (including the children!) hand-weave their fabrics on the street -
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico
Here I am purchasing fresh fruit from a Mayan street vendor -
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico
This Catholic cathedral and zocalo (square) in the Chiapas Highlands is more than 7,200 feet above sea level -
San Juan Chamula, Mexico
This photo sums up the impact of the "West" on indigenous cultures. On the left are corn stalks (the main crop of these subsistence farmers)
and on the right is a new construction typical of more advanced societies. Meanwhile, in the center of the photo is an Indian woman
returning to her village with a crate of Coke bottles strapped awkwardly to her back! -
San Juan Chamula, Mexico
The colorful cascades of Agua Azul -
Agua Azul, Mexico
The Mayan ruins of Palenque include the Temple of the Inscriptions (left) and The Palace (right). This Mayan sanctuary became
a major population center about 600 A.D., and the existing structures were most likely constructed about the year 800. The ruins
are not as large as other Mayan sites such as Tikal in Guatemala, but Palenque contains several nice structures in a wonderful
jungle setting. The city was abandoned in the 10th century, and it was completely engulfed by forest when the Spanish arrived -
Chiapas, Mexico

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All images © Ron Miller
For authorized use of these photos, please contact Ron Miller at TheHappyCannibal@gmail.com