Calle Alberto Gutierrez, Watermelons and Angels
Last modified: May 29, 201531 … All in time: overcast, sunny and under the cloak of darkness…
Calle Alberto Gutierrez is a short but interesting street. It runs from the Bishop’s Mansion north towards Calle Gral Antonio Rosales. In two blocks it passes by the Governor’s Mansion, a school, the Museum’s back door and ends at what was once the town’s cine. It is one block away from both the Plaza de las Armas and the Alameda. Take away the stop sign and look closely, take away the cars and listen closely, what year could this be?
It would not surprise me if this old red Volkswagon is still running. The photo was taken in 1996, this post is in 2011. Cars in Mexico live different lives than their compadres to the north, and or, they come across the border to spend their later years in Alamos under the resourceful care of Mexican auto mechanics. These watermelons are gone, but more keep returning, it is the timeless nature of busy marketplaces alive with seasonal products.
Old and new come together effortlessly in a barrio near the colonial center of Álamos, Sonora, Mexico. One would think dust on drying paint maybe an issue but here what is there to hide from Nature? The one-way signs would be for Centro where one way signs are the sign of the times.
One-way Calle Aurora will take this man into the Plaza which is less than fifty feet away. The second he turns the corner, in any direction, the world changes. But one thing will not change, he will see friends and family as he goes from here to there.
A grandfather died earlier at home surrounded by women, children and men in his life. Now, his grandsons, sons, nephews and cousins are digging his grave. There is singing, drinking and moments of silence when all one hears is the shovel cutting into the earth. It will take most of the night as each present male takes a turn creating a final resting place. Another page is turned in the story of life: Alamos, Sonora, Mexico – it is its people, rich or poor.
It is In The Night That the Past Dances Down Narrow Streets
Oh little town of Álamos. Lights sparkle in the evening darkness. Pungent smells float with the shifting breeze. Music, live and recorded, rises up from the homes and neighborhoods. Birds sing under star filled skies. Dogs bark and cars pass by. Footsteps on cobblestone and smoke from fireplaces create mystic moments.
Children of all ages play late into the night on the quiet streets. Night time is not threatening, it is a celebration of another day both coming and going. Night time is magical. The town seems smaller. The world becomes all you can see looking down a street. It is easy to focus on the smallest thing. And behind the walls there are other worlds: private legacies, conversations., comforts, learnings, entertainments, deliberations, dreams. Photos and editing by Anders Tomlinson. Music from “Camino Songs” by SonicAtomics.
strong>Springtime 1984 in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico
It is the spring of 1984. Anders Tomlinson and Kit Nuzum arrive in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico to begin shooting super-eight film footage with single-frame and additional short bursts and several time-lapse sequences. They used Kodachrome asa 40 film stock with a Minolta news camera.
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