San Cristobal Cathedral by Karsten Horne
Where was your photo taken and what brought you to this destination?
It was taken in San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico. I was on a four-week trip through Guatemala, Belize, Cuba and Mexico with my family.
What inspired you to take this photo?
The contrast of the imposing black cross and the wedding cake appearance of the church appealed to me. San Cristobal is a lively party town that had been the centre of the Zapatistas uprising a few years earlier and everywhere we saw similar contrasts and contradictions.
Did you set it up or did the moment just happen??
A bit of both I guess! I climbed up the side of a fountain in the main square to get elevation to avoid the hundreds of people in the foreground ~ as I felt they spoiled the starkness I was trying to create. As I prepared to take the shot this very unusual cloud appeared from nowhere, rising up behind the church.
What does this photo mean to you, why is it your favourite photo?
It means a great deal as it brings back memories of a beautiful town that was the unexpected highlight of our whole trip! I hear the opening bars of the MANA song “Justicia, Tierra y Libertad” every time I look at this photo, as it is the only sound I feel should be allowed to break the peacefulness of the moment.
It is my favourite as I feel I have stolen a moment that nobody else witnessed on that day.
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