The many VWs of Mexico

I remember being so in awe of all the vintage VW Beetles I kept spotting when I visited Mexico City for the first time. And I didn’t realize a photo of an old blue one “squished” between two larger cars against an orange yellow wall that I shot during that trip would become one of my favorite photos of all time.

When I returned to Mexico City several years later, I saw Beetles EVERYWHERE. Once you spot one bug, that’s all you see. There’s one…and another…and another! I would go out not just wandering, but “bug hunting” to try to find different colors and cars parked against interesting backgrounds. I remember photographing a red VW van against a pink building daily, finding different angles and using different films and cameras to capture it.

My visit to Oaxaca last year was just as fruitful for “bug hunting” as the country’s capital had been, maybe even more so. Once again, I found a favorite car to return to over the next several days of my trip (it was also red but with a yellow top). I even found one decked out with The Beatles—Paul, John, Ringo and George’s faces lining the windows.

There’s something nostalgic about the classic VW Beetle, a reminder of a time when cars were small, colorful and fun. A symbol of free spirit and free love. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to photographing them.

This post is inspired by an article I read in The New York Times about a northern Mexico City neighborhood, Cuautapec, aka Volcholandia, whose residents are keeping the spirit of the VW Beetle alive.

Here is a collection of my own photos of VWs spotted in Mexico City and Oaxaca.

The original, full shot of my “El Carro” print.

A very tight squeeze to get into these!

I named this shot “Love Bugs” because they are snuggled up against each other.

The Beatles Beetle—I took this photo for my dad!

Kodak Gold, Kodak Ektar, Expired film, iPhone…I shot this van many, many times during my time in Mexico City.