Chihuahua land of Rarámuri - March 2016

The difficult conditions of the Chihuahuan geography shaped the character of its inhabitants , who like most of their northern compatriots have forged their tenacity and perseverance , thanks to the hard work that means getting the arid soil some food and water for sustenance his family and livestock. This , coupled with characteristic hospitality and willingness to help Mexicans make up the profile of the Chihuahuan eager.

Musicians at Plaza Cathedral.

Ready for the show.

Escaparate.

The mise enchanter.

The cross of nails.

The Cathedral.

Spring festival.

The crowd.

Dancers.

The riders.

Presidencia Municipal.

Shoe clinner.

No clientele.

Today, the Chihuahuan society is made up of indigenous groups that still preserve their roots and strong traditions . Currently , the main group in number and cultural influence in the state is that of the Tarahumara . Original inhabitants of these lands, were forced to retire to live in a portion of the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental , today known as the Sierra Tarahumara. As in the rest of the country , this ethnic group is among the poorest and most marginalized state . Part of its economy is sustained by selling sikolís and bitikolís , pots and pottery and textiles and beadwork jewelry offered at tourist sites in the state.

Tarahumara family.

Handcraft Tarahumara.

Tarahumara woman.

Tarahumara girl selling handcrafts.

Chihuahua is in all means a place for you to discover.  You can spend hours walking around and get intrigued by it's people, trying to understand who they are.  The more I see, the more I can't stop capturing  the moment, trying to reflect the steet life of Chihuahua.  A big challenge for just a few days.     

Soreya Reyes

www.searchingforemotion.com

STREET LIFE AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Twitter:  @street_photos_

https://www.instagram.com/searchingforemotion/

Balat a neighborhood of immigrants - Istanbul, Turkey 2014

"Photography is the art of Observation.

It's about creating something extraordinary out of the ordinary.  

You choose a frame and then wait until the right time for something magical to come along and fill it. " Elliot Erwitt

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Balat's original community was made up of Jews form Macedonia.  However  in 1492 Sultan Beyazid II invited the Spanish Jews who had been expelled by Ferninand and İsabel to settle here, thus superimposing a population of Jueo-Espanyol speakers (and latino writers) on the original Greek speakers.  Later more refugees arrived first from Portugal then from Rhodes, and Balat became known as "Yahudi Balat" (Jewish Balat).  

High School of the Greek Orthodox Community.

Balat's Old Houses.

Although there were once 19 synagogues in the area, no more than handful of Jews still live in Balat, most of them long ago emigrated to İsrael and their place have been taken by poor imigrants from Eastern Turkey.

Many of the houses and shops along this street have been restored by the European Union and UNESCO.  At is easterly end where Balat merges into Fener there's a large walled compound with and old brick building clinging on to the one end. 

Wall were Balat merges into Fener.

 

 İronically, Balat takes its name from the Greek word "palation" (palace) a reference to its proximity to the Balchernae Palace.  

Three story houses

The houses  are usually three-story, narrow front face, which come as second and third floors, and big windows in the buildings.

View of the Golden Horn from one of the streets.

Balat street scenes.

İt is common to find kids playing on the streets. 

İf you walk along Leblebiciler Caddesi you will come to Balat's atractively old fashioned shopping area, where small family-owned shops are accommodated in a variety of buildings of different ages.

 Balat's street life.

 Simit vendor.

Balat's side to side cloth hungers

Dikkat köppek var.

Soreya Reyes

www.searchingforemotion.com

STREET LIFE AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Twitter:  @street_photos_

https://www.instagram.com/searchingforemotion/