Photo Carraol Images of Mexico City

A Momentary Lapse of Sky

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:39:00 +0000

A c a p u l c o !
Happy Weekend
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Crash

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:57:00 +0000

Car crash at noon.
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Doors and Chains

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:01:00 +0000

The true method of knowledge is experiment.
William Blake
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Berlin Wall

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:53:00 +0000

U2 - Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Live @ Berlin Wall 20th Anniversary 2009)
By Dave Graham. El Economista
BERLIN (Reuters) - World leaders past and present will join German crowds on Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall -- a stark symbol of the Cold War that divided a city and a continent.

Ironias de la vida - Rocha / La Jornada

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Limitless

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

$ 3.00 MXN (0.223713 USD) limitless time calls.
"Happy Sunday"
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Iron Dancers

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:12:00 +0000

Have a great weekend!
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Chapultepec Castle

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Fountain with a sculpture of the symbol of Chapultepec, "The Grasshopper"
In the background, statues dedicated to the boy soldiers, along a walkway at the top of Chapultepec Castle.
Chapultepec (Chapoltepēc, "at the grasshopper's hill" in the Nahuatl language; cf. Mexican Spanish Chapulín [Grasshopper]) is a large hill on the outskirts of central Mexico City. It has been a special place for Mexicans throughout Mexican history, and it was on this hill that the Aztecs made a temporary home after arriving from northern Mexico in the 1200s.
The Niños Héroes (in English: Boy Heroes), also known as the Heroic Cadets or Boy Soldiers, were six teenage military cadets who died defending Mexico at Mexico City's Chapultepec Castle (then serving as the Mexican army's military academy) from invading U.S. forces in the 13 September 1847 Battle of Chapultepec.
Their commanders, General Nicolás Bravo and General José Mariano Monterde, had ordered them to fall back from Chapultepec but the cadets did not; instead, they resisted the invaders until they were killed, with accounts maintaining that the last survivor leapt from Chapultepec Castle wrapped in the Mexican flag to prevent it from being taken by the enemy. [Wiki]
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The Balcony Worker

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:18:00 +0000

We sat around on a hotel balcony with a bottle of wine and tried to figure out how you would go about blowing up a planet. That's the kind of conversations science fiction writers have when they get together. We don't talk about football or anything like that.
Kevin J. Anderson
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What's Up / Que onda b....

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:46:00 +0000

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Justice is Dead

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:25:00 +0000

Day of The Dead / El Día de los Muertos

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:18:00 +0000

Ver.2

Alebrije [aleˈβɾihe) are brightly-colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures. Pedro Linares first used the term to describe his papier mache creations.
The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; for example, it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

T I M E
Modern man thinks he loses something-time-when he does not do things quickly. Yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains- except kill it.

One of the worst forms of mental suffering is boredom, not knowing what to do with oneself and one's life. Even if man had no monetary, or any other reward, he would be eager to spend his energy in some meaningful way because he could not stand the boredom which inactivity produces.
- Erich Fromm
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Theme Day: Doorways

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:04:00 +0000

Bowery at Spring St in Chinatown. New York City

Abandoned house in the Pink Zone of the city

Palace of Fine Arts / Palacio de Bellas Artes

Click Here To View Thumbnails For All Participants
A warrior-hunter deals intimately with his world, and yet he is inaccessible to that same world. He taps it lightly, stays for as long as he needs to, and then swiftly moves away, leaving hardly a mark.
For an average man, the world is weird because if he's not bored with it, he's at odds with it. For a warrior, the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable. A warrior must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous time.
A warrior must learn to make every act count, since he is going to be here in this world for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.
Acts have power. Especially when the warrior acting knows that those acts are his last battle. There is a strange consuming happiness in acting with the full knowledge that whatever he is doing may very well be his last act on earth.
A warrior must focus his attention on the link between himself and his death. Without remorse or sadness or worrying, he must focus his attention on the fact that he does not have time and let his acts flow accordingly. He must let each of his acts be his last battle on earth. Only under those conditions will his acts have their rightful power.
Otherwise they will be for as long as he lives, the acts of a fool.
Carlos Castaneda.
Happy Halloween!
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Underworld

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:38:00 +0000

Temple of The Feathered Serpent
Xochicalco is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in the western part of the Mexican state of Morelos. The name Xochicalco may be translated from Nahuatl as "in the (place of the) house of Flowers". The site is located 38 km southwest of Cuernavaca, about 76 miles by road from Mexico City. The site is open to visitors all week, from 10am to 5pm, although access to the observatory is only allowed after noon. The apogee of Xochicalco came after the fall of Teotihuacan and it has been speculated that Xochicalco may have played a part in the fall of the Teotihuacan empire.

The architecture and iconography of Xochicalco show affinities with Teotihuacan, the Maya area, and the Matlatzinca culture of the Toluca Valley.
The main ceremonial center is atop an artificially leveled hill, with remains of residential structures, mostly unexcavated, on long terraces covering the slopes. The site was first occupied by 200 BC, but did not develop into an urban center until the Epiclassic period (A.D. 700 - 900). Nearly all the standing architecture at the site was built at this time. At its peak, the city may have had a population of up to 20,000 people.

Of special interest are sculptured reliefs on the sides of some buildings. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent has fine stylized depictions of that deity in a style which includes apparent influences of Teotihuacan and Maya art. It has been speculated that Xochicalco may have had a community of artists from other parts of Mesoamerica.

Other monuments at the site include several other step-pyramid temples, palaces, three ballcourts, sweat-baths, an unusual row of circular altars, and a cave with steps carved down into it. The site also has some free-standing sculptured stelae; others were removed from their original location and are now on display in the INAH museum in Mexico City and at the site museum.

At some point around A.D. 900 the city of Xochicalco was burned and destroyed. Many of the excavated houses and temples have layers of burning and destruction that cover the deposits from the main Epiclassic occupation. Underneath destruction layers, numerous objects were left in place in the houses, indicating that the site was destroyed and abandoned quickly. A small remnant population lived on, however, on the lower slopes of the hill. Later, around A.D. 1200, the site was recolonized by the Nahuatl-speaking Tlahuica peoples, ancestors to the Nahuatl-speaking populations of the modern state of Morelos.

Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tourist destination. The site also has a well-stocked museum, designed by noted Mexican architect Roland Dada. [Wiki]
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Theatre of The Absurd / Teatro del Absurdo

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:22:00 +0000

The Christian Science Monitor
By Sara Miller Llana | Staff writer 10.29.09
Los Tigres del Norte sing of censorship, bail on Mexican award.
Los Tigres del Norte, a popular Mexican band, canceled an appearance on the Luna Awards TV show in Mexico Wednesday. The Mexican government denied any censorship of the band.
MEXICO CITY - Politicians say that narcocorridos, the songs which extol the exploits of drug traffickers, must go. But these ballads appeal to a significant audience.
Caught in the middle are the Mexican musicians themselves, who say their art merely chronicles of the political and business interests that fuel the drug trade and wreak havoc on the streets.
In the most recent standoff, the popular “norteño” band Los Tigres del Norte canceled an appearance at an awards show in Mexico for alleged “censorship.” Universal Music, the Tigres’ record label, said that the government-owned National Auditorium in Mexico City asked them not to play their narcocorrido hit “La Granja” during Las Lunas Awards ceremony Wednesday night. In protest, Los Tigres bailed out.
La Granja, which translate as “The Farm,” seems to take aim at the military-led war against drug trafficking, which has unleashed violence between rival drug traffickers (see our briefing on the key cartels and the Mexican government campaign against them) and taken a livelihood away from many would-be marijuana growers and dealers.
The lyrics, translated by the Los Angeles Times, go like this:
Today we have, every day
Much insecurity
Because they let the dog loose
And it all came tumbling down . . . .

El Economista
Vicente Gutiérrez Created 28/10/2009.

"La Granja" dice la verdad: Tigres del Norte
Su tema ha sido censurado.

Con una fábula, Los Tigres del Norte critican a los políticos, los banqueros, al expresidente Vicente Fox, la inseguridad y la pobreza en México.
“Si alguien la prohíbe es porque dice la verdad y llama la atención. Nuestro trabajo es denunciar todo lo que vemos a través de nuestra música”, dijo Jorge Hernández, líder del grupo.
En el tema (y el vídeo animado) aparecen banqueros millonarios y Vicente Fox representados como marranos, un zorro y el pueblo.
“México tiene muchos problemas, uno de ellos es la crisis económica y otro la violencia. Pero lo peor es que en el país los políticos no se ponen de acuerdo en nada. Un día se aprueban los impuestos y al otro no... hay mucha confusión y eso daña al pueblo, que lo soporta todo”, explicó Hernán Hernández.
Los Tigres del Norte han denunciado problemas en sus canciones, pero... ¿ha servido de algo?
“Sí, claro. Nos lo dice la gente y lo vemos cuando usan la música en manifestaciones o cuando las censuran”, comentó Jorge Hernández.
“Fe, esperanza y alegría es lo que hemos llevado al pueblo con nuestra música y mientras siga habiendo problemas e injusticias... Los Tigres del Norte seguiremos cantando”, dijo Jorge Hernández.

El Universal
Ciudad de México Miércoles 28 de octubre de 2009
Jorge Hernández, cantante y líder de Los Tigres del Norte, reconoció que el hecho de censurar un tema no ayuda a mejorar la situación del país: "Si ese fuera el remedio para solucionar todo lo que tratamos en nuestras canciones, que las cancelen todas".
Comentó que la decisión, tomada tras una reunión con representantes de su casa discográfica, de no presentarse en la ceremonia de entrega de las Lunas del Auditorio Nacional, se debe a una recomendación emitida por parte de la Secretaría de Gobernación.
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Portraits in almost B&W

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:21:00 +0000

Vide Cor Meum
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V

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Trying to catch the transit authority in action, suddenly appear this friendly hand in middle of the chaos.
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Sunday Walk

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:33:00 +0000

Caminata de Domingo 1999 de Leonora Carrington
Sunday Walk (painting) by Leonora Carrington 1999.
Leonora Carrington, one of Britain's finest - and neglected – surrealists.
Her importance, lies partly in that she - along with artists such as Leonor Fini and Remedios Varo - opened up a new, and more female, strand of surrealism: in Mexico, Leonora and Varo dabbled in alchemy and the occult, and the work of both was rooted for a time in the magical and domestic elements of women's lives. "One of the extraordinary aspects of Leonora's work is how she draws on so many different inspirations, from the Celtic legends she learned from her nanny, through the constraints of her upper-class upbringing, to the surrealism of Paris in the 1930s - and then to the magic of Mexico," "Her work is evocative of so many things, and it's enormously complex: she hasn't had a massive output because her technique is so meticulous and the work so detailed. She certainly wasn't a Picasso who could churn out several pictures a day; her work would take many months, even years."
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Zoo Entrance

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Gratitude

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:05:00 +0000

Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
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East / West

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Juarez Ave in downtown at Historic Center. Latin American Tower in the background of the top shot.
Have a great weekend!
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Local News / New Taxes: Internet ...

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Cartoon by El Fisgon. La Jornada -21-10-09.
La "toma de la tribuna" que llevaron a cabo ayer los petistas Mario di Costanzo y Fernández Noroña fue un acto de protesta espectacular pero inútil. Este día la Cámara de Diputados en pleno aprobó los impuestos que previamente diseñaron los presidentes (Felipe Calderón) que saldrá en tres años más y el que espera remplazarlo (Enrique Peña Nieto). No quisieron sacrificar la vida de lujo de la alta burocracia, vamos, ni un Mercedes Benz. En el último año de gobierno de Ernesto Zedillo el presupuesto fue de un millón de millones de pesos (un billón). En los nueve años de panismo se triplicó y, aunque estamos en crisis, el de 2010 rebasará los 3 billones. Ya no se esperan ingresos espectaculares del petróleo, así que el dinero de los contribuyentes será usado como sustituto. Los de clase media y pobres, vale la pena aclarar, porque a menos que ocurriera hoy algo fuera de lo programado, los 400 grandes grupos empresariales continuarán disfrutando del privilegio de no pagar o pagar lo mínimo. No obstante la información contundente que reveló el Servicio de Administración Tributaria en la víspera, en el sentido de que con sólo aumentar un 5% la recaudación que proviene de esos grupos sería bastante para tapar el agujero fiscal, los capos del PRI, el PAN y el PRD chuchista optaron por ignorarla. No quieren malquistarse con los grandes empresarios, necesitan su apoyo, y el de sus televisoras, en la campaña presidencial.
Enrique Galván Ochoa. La Jornada 21/10/2009.
Nota:
En agradecimiento a sus votantes de todo el pais, el PRI y su aliado el PAN, les regala mas impuestos, IVA, impuesto sobre sus quincenas, internet y cable, etc. Asi que cada quince dias al recibir tu sueldo, al pagar en el super, al pagar gasolina y practicamente todo, acuerdate y agradece, al fin de cuentas seguiras votando por los mismos una y otra vez. Todo esto, ya lo sabemos, es resultado de la apatia, de tanto futbol y television. Asi que bravo, adelante y no cambies de canal, total unos pesos menos para tu familia. En algo somos buenos los mexicanos, somos los perfectos esclavos!
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Tina Modotti

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:49:00 +0000

Tina Modotti's house in Mexico City.
Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti was a beautiful woman, a minor star of the theater and silent film, and a political radical. She was born in Italy in 1896 and lived in San Francisco and Hollywood, then in Mexico City of the 1920s and in Berlin of the early 1930s.

For a brief seven years, Tina Modotti, as she is known, also was a fine-art photographer. She made still lifes appear as political symbols and flesh-and-blood women seem to be emblematic monuments.

But when she had to choose between art and devotion to the communist cause, she chose the cause. "I cannot solve the problem of life by losing myself in the problem of art" she wrote. First, though, she produced a visual legacy of beauty and strength.

Some have suggested that Modotti was introduced to photography as a young girl in Italy, where her uncle, Pietro Modotti, maintained a photography studio. Later in the U.S., her father briefly ran a similar studio in San Francisco. However, it was through her relationship with Edward Weston that Modotti rapidly developed as an important fine art photographer and documentarian. Mexican photographer Manuel Alvarez Bravo divided Modotti’s career as a photographer into two distinct categories: "Romantic" and "Revolutionary." The former period includes her time spent as Weston’s darkroom assistant, office manager and, finally, creative partner. Together they opened a portrait studio in Mexico City and were commissioned to travel around Mexico taking photographs for Anita Brenner’s book, "Idols Behind Altars."

In Mexico, Modotti found a community of cultural and political avant guardists. She became the photographer of choice for the blossoming Mexican mural movement, documenting the works of José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera. Her visual vocabulary matured during this period, such as her formal experiments with architectural interiors, flowers and urban landscapes, and especially in her many lyrical images of peasants and workers. Indeed, her one-woman retrospective exhibition at the National Library in December 1929 was advertised as "The First Revolutionary Photographic Exhibition In Mexico." She had reached a high point in her career as a photographer, but within the next year she was forced to set her camera aside in favor of more pressing concerns. [ Wiki ]
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The Twist

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:16:00 +0000

Giro (Twist) 1973 sculpture by Alexander Liberman at Rufino Tamayo Museum.
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The Liquid Clown

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:31:00 +0000

"Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality."
"A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free."
Nikos Kazantzakis
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Quietly / En Silencio

Carraol@gmail.com (Carraol) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:24:00 +0000

“Happiness is like a butterfly which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
(" La felicidad es como una mariposa, cuando la persigues, siempre esta fuera de tu alcance, pero cuando te detienes en silencio, puede posarse sobre ti.") Nathaniel Hawthorne
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