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.

Mouse over the screen to view captions. Click on individual images for purchasing information.


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.

Mouse over the screen to view captions. Click on individual photos for more information.


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.

Move Cursor over screen to view captions. Click on individual images for more information.


Mexico's World Heritage Sites - Images by John Mitchell