Posted by kate on 24/03/2012

« Juan Crisostomo Mendez Avalos was born in the City of Puebla in May 12 th, 1885. At that time, Puebla was an important industrial and commercial center whose proximity to Mexico City fostered an intense spirit of competition with the capital where textile factories and transit commerce became the main economical activities. Puebla competed with the national capital in several aspects, the most important were a rich religious and civil architectural heritage, a high educational institutions. This city had a prestigious background in art and art education as well as a very politically polarized social sector.

Juan C. Mendez spent at the school of Saint Bernardine, a catholic institution, his first years of education learning Spanish grammar, English language, music, bookkeeping, and typing. He entered the School of Arts and Crafts where he studied drawing, sketching and where he first developed a passion for architectural art.

In 1900, at the age of fifteen, Juan Mendez became an apprentice at the German hardware store “Soomer and Herman”, renown for its extensive stock of electric appliances, optics, photographic material and industrial spare parts and materials.

In 1906, Mr. Claudio Goit, the manager of Soomer and Herman recommended Juan Mendez for a position as administrator of a wealthy Mexican businessman called Mr. Agustin Sanchez Antunano. In 1914, he become Mr. Sanchez’s attorney. For the next fifty years Juan Mendez got job until he die.

His professional carrier was fast and ran simultaneously with the explosion and process of the Mexican Revolution [1910-1927]. If he did not belong to a high social status of those last days of General Diaz’s government, then Mendez was definitely close to wealthy and rather conservative circles at his natal city.

Therefore, the Revolutionary Movement did not overthrow Mendez’s carrier. On the contrary, his early stable economical life provided him with the time and funds to dedicate his free time entirely to photography.

As an amateur photographer, Mendez used the services of the American Photo Supply, a Kodak dealer in town. Later on, in that place he met other photographers most of them studio photographers, located in downtown Puebla. A. Bustamante, Josaphat Martinez, Mariano Tagle, J. Bianchini, Robles, Carlos Rivero were some of the photographers he frequented the most. All of them became popular for more than fifty years.

However, Mendez never established a commercial studio. It is possible that his education and skills in photography were obtained at the School of Arts and Crafts. Later he becomes a self educated photographer through professional literature. One can assume, that when he worked at Soomer & Herman he was acquainted with photographic material and equipment and it is not remote that Mendez himself acquired photo equipment through that imports dealer.  » frim this pdf

Juan Crisóstomo Méndez Ávalos created a personalized series of voyeuristic, fetishistic & uninhibited nudes in puebla, mexico during the 1920s & 30s,   but they have almost all been taken during the summer of 1926 . All the first part of the pics come from this book Juan Crisóstomo Méndez Ávalos. 1885-1962. . Prólogo de José Antonio Rodríguez. Textos en español e inglés. Ediciones del Equilibrista. México, 1996. blanco y sepia Photo 46 p , and  others come from  a magazine, Luna Cornea , issue 4, 1994. I let the credits writings for some one of them, because i saw everytime 1920or 1930, nut it’s 1926…  but you can remove it if you wish. They are less good qualities because they were printed on paper. It all from the Juan Crisostomo Mendez Avalos foundation Mexico.I also have some negative I will put …

Remerber if you want see it in full size,  open it in a new window...

You can browse it on this galery. but in smaller and with a flash player. see also two portraits  Here and His Fondation