Photographs of Churches and Architecture in Mexico and England

This disbound album is made up of two volumes, the first containing late 19th century photographs of sites throughout Mexico and parts of South America; most notable are Mexico City, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Peru, Bolivia, and the Mesoamerican ruins of Mitla, Tiahuanacu, and Gran Chimu. Some of the photographs in volume one are cyanotypes made by Charles F. Lummis. Views of some California missions are also included, with a focus on San Fernando Rey. The second volume of the album also holds late 19th century photographs of Anglican church buildings in England, featuring York Minster, Winchester Cathedral, and Ely Cathedral.

Volume 1 contains photographs set in Mexico include images of street and church scenes in Mexico City, Aguacalientes, Zacatecas, Cuernavaca, Orizaba, Cordoba, Guanajuato, and Guadalupe. Noteworthy sights from this group include the Statue of Cuauhtémoc, Plaza de la Paz, Alhóndiga de Granaditas (where Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla's severed head was publically displayed), Jardín Boda (the 1865 summer home of Maximilian I, the Emperor of Mexico), the Biblioteca Nacional de México, and the ancient Pre-Columbian ruins of Mitla. Photographs of South America include street scenes of Arequipa, Peru; Lima, Peru; Puno, Peru; La Paz, Bolivia, and the Pre-Columbian ruins of Tiahuanacu and Gran Chimu. Some of the photographs show scenes from the Western United States, mainly of California and New Mexico. Interesting images are of Missions San Carlos Borromeo, San José, San Juan Capistrano, San Fernando Rey, San Francisco de Asís, San Luis Rey, and Santa Barbara; also included are images of Diego de Vargas' grave and the stone altar at Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Volume 2 of this collection is made up of photographs of churches spread throughout England and Ireland. Many of the churches have not been identified, but among the ones that are known include: Ely Cathedral, York Minster, Canterbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, and Robert of Knareborough's Chapel (Yorkshire). Fifty-one of the Mexico photographs were created by a photographer by the name of Cox. Thirty-three of the Mexico, South America, and California mission photographs are attributed to Charles F. Lummis; the remaining forty-nine Latin America photographs are not signed but may be by Lummis. All of the 128 photographs of English churches were created by various photographers and photograph companies, many of which remain unidentified.