I first crossed south of the border on a day trip to Tijuana 43 years ago, but it wasn’t until about 4 years ago, at the urging of a good friend and travel companion, Tomy O’Brien, that I began to really explore Mexico. Driving our own vehicle, we explored the historic towns and villages of the central highlands, Many of these towns are designated “Pueblo Magicos”, or Magic

Villages because they are often like stepping back in time. This choice played well with another objective: to avoid the all-inclusive resorts that cater to the "Playa de Gringo" version of Mexico with plastic palm trees and umbrella drinks.

Over the last 5 years I’ve driven over 35,000 kilometers in Mexico and visited 28 of its 31 states. The photographs shown here are a small sampling of

my favorite photographs that show a Mexico  rich with history, beautiful in landscape, and with a fascinating culture.

Presenter:

John Gregor has a Masters of Education through St. Scholastica College with an emphasis in photographic literacy. He earned his BA from the University of Minnesota with a degree through the University Without Walls program. His degree was entitled “Documentary Expression of American Culture Through Photography,” a combined degree of Social Sciences and Fine Art Photography. During his career Gregor has worked on some interesting projects and photographed for some great publications. They include: 2 years as the Official Track Photographer at Canterbury Downs Racetrack, a month-long photographic project in Africa documenting the first attempted kayak descent of the Blue Nile from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert, an on-going photography /research project on the horse-mounted military musical bands remaining worldwide with trips to England, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden, funded by the University of St. Thomas, photography documentation of over 75 Scientific and Natural Areas in Minnesota funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy resulting in numerous publications including Worlds Within A World, 1999 winner of the Minnesota Book Award. Gregor has four other book projects with title page credit including: Growing Home: Stories of 32 Ethnic Gardeners, UofM Press, 2000 (winner of the 2000 American Horticulture Book of the Year Award), Northland Wildflowers: a Guide to the Minnesota Region, UofM Press, and Northern Treasure, The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s 100 year commemorative book.