Paricutin Volcano, Michoacan, Mexico

Volcan Paricutin was born in 1943 with a series of explosions in the middle of a farmer's cornfield. The volcano continued to erupt for almost a decade, building a cone over 400 meters high and inundating two nearby towns with lava. Today, the lone steeple of the half-buried Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro rises above barren lava fields as an eerie monument to the village entombed below.

Travelers hike to this surreal landscape from the Tarascan community of Angahuan, which was spared by the volcano. The inhabitants of Angahuan still speak Purepecha, the ancient language of their ancestors, and many of the men work as guides. Angahuan is a rustic town with a 16th-century church known for the unusual Moorish designs surrounding its entrance.

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Paricutin Volcano, Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

Mazatlan, Concordia, and Copala, Mexico

 What's nice about Mazatlan is that besides being a major beach resort on Mexico's Pacific coast, it's an authentic Mexican port city with more on its mind than tourism. Mazatlan also has a rich history dating back to Spanish colonial times, and in recent years a lot of effort has been put into restoring its historic downtown, which has some fine 19th-century buildings, attractive plazas, plus a couple of good museums. Concordia and Copala are two photogenic mining towns in the nearby foothills of the Sierra Madre that date back to the late 1500's.

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Mazatlan, Concordia, and Copala in Sinaloa, Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

Mexico's UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Mexico boasts 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (25 Cultural and four Natural), more than any other country in the Americas. I first started exploring and photographing these inspiring locales back in the 1980's. Since then I've managed to visit 25 of them, and I hope to be around long enough to see the rest. However, this may not be easy because Mexico has a lineup of places waiting to be inscribed on the World Heritage List, and so it promises to get even longer.

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Mexico's World Heritage Sites - Images by John Mitchell

Chiapas, Mexico

Ancient Maya ruins sequestered in the jungle, atmospheric Spanish colonial towns, dranatic landscapes, and Maya villages that seem impervious to time make the southern state of Chiapas one of the most rewarding places to photograph in Mexico. Culturally similar to neighboring Guatemala, Chiapas is home to a colorful and thriving Maya culture that has managed to hold onto its age-old traditions.

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Chiapas, Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Acapulco is often referred to as the queen of Mexico's beach resorts. Her fame has faded somewhat over the decades, but Acapulco still conjures up images of celebrity, romance, and wild nightlife. What many visitors to Acapulco don't realize is that this hedonistic party town has a rich history that goes back thousands of years. Long before the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century, Acapulco was inhabited by indigenous people who had sacred ceremonial centers in the hills above Acapulco. During colonial times, Acapulco became one of the most important ports in the New World and served as Spain's main gateway to the riches of the Orient.

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Acapulco - Images by John Mitchell

Las Pozas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Las Pozas is truly one of the hidden wonders of modern Mexico. Located in the lush rain forest of the isolated Huasteca Potosina region of San Luis Potosi state, this remarkable surrealistic sculpture garden was created by Edward James, an eccentric British poet, nature lover, and art patron. Between 1949 and 1984, James built 36 fantastical concrete sculptures in a patch of jungle near the mountain town of Xilitla.

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Las Pozas Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

I have always enjoyed photographing decaying places like the old mining town of Real de Catorce in the state of San Luis Potosi. This once-bustling community is now often referred to as a "ghost town," and indeed the inhabitants of Real de Catorce began deserting their homes and businesses after nearby silver mines started drying up in the late 19th century. These days, however, many of the ghosts have been replaced by tourists and religious pilgrims who come to pay homage to a supposedly miraculous statue of Saint Francis de Assisi ensconced in the parish church. As a result of its new-found popularity, Real de Catorce boasts several comfortable hotels and what has to be the largest number of authentic Italian restaurants per capita of anywhere in Mexico.

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Real de Catorce, Mexico - Images by John Mitchell