Just Around the Yellow Corner...in Izamal, Mexico

Just Around the Yellow Corner..., a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Mexico has designated 83 towns and villages as Pueblos Magicos (Magical Towns) throughout the country. To achieve such a designation a town must demonstrate natural beauty, historical significance and cultural diversity.

70 km east of the beautiful colonial town of Merida in the Mexican state of Yucatan, is the enchanting “Magical Town” of Izamal, nicknamed La Ciudad Amarilla (the Yellow City) for the glowing yellow paint that covers the colonial buildings. Izamal is a beautiful place to experience the diversity of three cultures: Maya, Mexican and Spanish.

I spent an entire day walking around this colorful town with its mustard yellow colored walls, cobblestone streets and colonial lamp posts. Every corner I turned opened up to another street scene that felt more like a Hollywood movie set than an old colonial town.

You can also get around town by hiring a Victoria or Calesa (a horse-drawn carriage) which serves as taxis for both locals and tourists.

Or you can get around the old fashion way like this local woman with a bicycle.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Pope Francis: The Pontiff of Firsts

Pope Francis: The Pontiff of Firsts, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

At the Convent of San Antonio de Padua, Izamal, Mexico, a statue of Pope John Paul II, which was made in remembrance of his visit to Izamal in 1993, is situated in the courtyard of the convent. The convent sits on a hill formed from a Mayan pyramid.

I framed the statue of Pope John Paul II as if he was holding up the stain glass painting of the Virgin Mary.

Today was a big day for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis. The pope of many firsts:

First non-European pope of the modern era.

First from Latin America.

First Jesuit.

First to assume the name Francis.

Even though my parents are from the Philippines (where over 85% of the population are Roman Catholic) I was raised as a Protestant.

Another first.

This Protestant offers many congratulations to my Catholic family members and friends on the election of their new pope.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine), a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

UPDATE: May 9, 2013 (10:39 Eastern Standard Time in the United States) - The Mayas love a good joke. Cheerio then all, thanks for reading. Until the next Apocalypse.

UPDATE: December 21, 2012 (3:49 Eastern Standard Time in the United States) - The world has not come to an end...for now.

Are you ready for the December 21, 2012, apocalypse when the Maya's "Long Count" calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era?

Chichén Itzá, located in the Yucatan of Mexico, is the apex of Maya archaeological sites. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, it is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Kukulkan Pyramid (also called “El Castillo”) is the architectural highlight of the ruins. This structure is famous for having various Maya calendar cycles represented in the number of steps, platforms, sides, and levels, all of which are aligned with the equinox sun, such that on those days only, a serpent-shaped shadow descends the steps. The pyramid has four stairways, each with 91 steps and a platform at the top, making a total of 365, equivalent to the number of days in a calendar year.

When I was in Chichén Itzá last month I had the opportunity to talk with the local Maya people to asked them if the world was really going to end on December 21, 2012. They all responded with a laugh and said no.

When I mentioned to one gentleman that my birthday coincided with the end of the Maya Long Count calendar he looked at me sternly and said, “You’ll be one year older, so my friend you’ll be fatter, slower and gray hairs will appear on your head. Your world will be ending, but not the Mayans!”

To all my Flickr friends may we all live to see December 22, 2012!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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