SENTINELS
Trees have always captivated me, some make me think of the world before us and I understand why in other times, we venerated them.
Although I have been fortunate to travel to other countries, Mexico is the only territory that I have been able to travel from north to south, and from east to west. It is in their nature that I recognize and connect in a very special way. According to the International Conservation of Botanical Gardens, through its Global Tree Campaing initiative, until 2017 there had been 60, 065 species of trees around the world. For Mexico, the same source registered a census of 3,364 species, of which 1,341 are endemic.
In addition to the relevant role they play for life on the planet, trees have also acquired symbolic meaning for many cultures throughout the history of mankind. It is this element, that of its possible meanings, that has caught my attention and therefore, the reason why they have been present in my photographic exercise.
Thanks to a call organized by the government of Mexico, I decided to rescue my personal dendrological record and at the same time, embark on the adventure to search for trees with which I could establish an emotional connection and through them, tell a story. The contest, which initially motivated the rescue of this short but significant memory, became a unique opportunity to go out and explore my country again and take pictures.
The Sentinels series, a graphic memory that runs through the regions of Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca and Querétaro; it is simply that, a travel blog from north to south, where the anecdotes are inspired by natural life and the universal wisdom that characterizes it.
JALISCO
In western Mexico and next to the Pacific Ocean, is Jalisco, one of the states with the greatest natural and cultural diversity in the country. My transit through this territory has been extensive, at different times and for different reasons, it was here where the search began.
Ironically and despite the fact that Jalisco has a beach, snow-capped mountains, semi-desert, forest and jungle; It was in its capital, Guadalajara, where I found a majestic Ceiba making its way between the concrete of the sidewalk and the electricity cables in the American Colony. He did not know that when they are young, the trunk of the Ceiba is full of thorns. I began to photograph it and I couldn't help but imagine that it came to life, that its prickly texture was transformed into scales and that at any moment it would witness an extraordinary event, and yes, it did.
Guadalajara is also one of the few cities in the country with two natural parks; the Colmos Forest and the Spring Forest. Colomos, surrounded by houses and avenues, is an oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle where pines, cypresses and ficus live. La Primavera, a protected nature reserve, is a peaceful paradise where you can also find ancient cedars and junipers.
QUERÉTARO
In the center of Mexico and the beginning of the Bajío area, is Querétaro. I have lived here for many years, suddenly I am absent, but I return. You could say that this is where I have taken root, although not to the full extent of what that phrase suggests.
In these lands the bushes predominate, but if you travel towards the Sierra Gorda or to the limits with other states, there are also coniferous and oak forests. However, it is between Escolásticas and San Cirilo, in the municipality of Pedro Escobedo in one of the lower parts of the state, where by the whim of geography, a small ecosystem is formed where today there is a Sabino forest. The Ahuehuete, as it is also known, is an endemic species of Mexico considered sacred by the original peoples of this and many other regions in the country.
Meeting these trees is like arriving at a magical place, every time I go I have the feeling that in the absence of humans, the myths and legends told by the locals come to life. Although it has become a highly visited destination, especially by photographers to do sessions with couples, teenagers and models, there is little interest in preserving it, since the river that saw it born is drying up and with it, the life of these sentinels of time who, as their name in Nahuatl indicates, refuse to grow old.
Let these postcards be one of the few dedicated to portraying only them, without models or couples in love, without chambelanes and quinceañeras, only them, the old men of the water.
OAXACA
For me, southern Mexico is especially beautiful, and Oaxaca is one of the states of the country that I like the most and that I have visited the most. I know its beaches and mountains, its valleys and plains, and it is clear to me that its geography is the reason for the natural, cultural and social wealth that characterizes it.
One of the natural attractions of Oaxaca and one that took me a long time to get to know, precisely because of the traffic of tourists that I usually avoid; It is the Tree of the Tule, in the community of Santa María de la Asunción. Although I knew that the diameter of his trunk was the largest in the world and that his estimated age is 2000 years, I never imagined how that could feel when standing in front of him.
I was silent and for a while I forgot all the people around me, not only because I could clearly feel and understand why he is revered and celebrates, I was also moved to think about how he has seen time pass and how lonely he must feel despite the fact that thousands of people visit it every day. So I dedicated myself to observing it and being surprised by the beings that inhabit the immensity of its texture. When I took these photos I was not thinking of any summons, I was portraying my conversation with a wise millennial.
The Tule tree, which belongs to the Sabinos or Ahuehuetes family, according to Zapotec tradition, was planted by Pechocha the God of the Wind, a priest of Ehécatl. Due to the sacred value that it represented and with the conquest, the church was built next to it in the same way that many others were built at that time; imposing and resignifying the divine symbols of the worldview of the original peoples. Today and thanks to the syncretism between beliefs, the Tree of Tule continues to be a representation of the gods on earth.
CHIAPAS
When I think of Chiapas, I think of the Lacandon Jungle, of the Mayan culture, but I also think of the Zapatistas, the love I feel for my country and its history, a coffee in San Cristóbal de las Casas and a dip in the rivers of cold water that flow into the Usumacinta. There are many stories I could tell about my travels in Chiapas, it is here where my heart leaps out of my chest and not only for its natural wonders, but also for its history and for the people.
Between the archaeological sites of Bonapak and Yaxchilán, there is a part of the Lacandon Jungle which can be seen in a walk that lasts around five hours. Touring the jungle is a unique experience, the sound of thousands of insects induce you into a trance that when combined with the heat, humidity and lush vegetation, one cannot do more than get carried away by that amazing pilgrimage.
The Lacandon Jungle, which contains great biodiversity, is also characterized by the majestic Ceibas that inhabit it. The Ceibas are trees that are present in many regions of Mexico, especially in the south, where the Mayan culture flourished and where these trees have a very special meaning. For the Mayans the Yaxché, as they called it, is a sacred tree, source of life, the connection that united the earth with the universe and the one in charge of raising the sky during creation.
These trees, which have seen so much happen, captured my attention with their height, shapes and skin tones. But more importantly, they made me imagine in other worlds, in the relationship I have with nature and in the time before us humans.
ALL IS ALIVE AND SACRED
Walk among trees and get lost, travel with the sound of the wind and breathe. Unfocused walk where imagining is what matters and the passage of time is relative. The Sentinels are protected by the sky with its clouds and from space, the celestial bobeda. Here where everything becomes symbols full of meaning, everything is alive and sacred.