Xill (pronounced Jill) Fessenden, a renowned photographer and resident of Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico since 1985. Xill opens doors into the Mexican indigenous (particularly the Purépecha) way of life as no other photographer has been able to do. Many of Xill's subjects know her personally and call her Xulia (Julia).

At a transition point in her life, Xill wasn't satisfied with her career and didn't feel like she had any real direction. She had been living in Pear Blossom, California, working at several things all at once: managing a photo developing shop, working on weekends on fishing boats, working in construction as a chimney builder. She was ready for something different - she wanted to move on and work full-time at photography.

She had heard about Ajijic from a friend and thought it might be a pretty good place to adjust to life in Mexico. She spoke no Spanish at all, and but knew there were some other English-speakers living there already. There was not much that would have enticed a foreigner to live in Ajijic back then, at least not compared to the way we have goods and services today, but Xill stayed. Back then there was no phone service, no signs on the buildings to tell you what business was there, no real estate offices, only two restaurants, there was a veterinarian, but only for farm animals (horses, cows, and such). She came down in her car, with her dog and a cat. In those days, you could buy dog food here but not cat food. She was always cooking for the cat.

In Xill's photography, she sees things in a way that most passersby fail to notice. At first she spent a lot of time just learning the ropes here. She was taking a lot of pictures and meeting different people. She got involved with an artists' group and they would sit and drink coffee and talk about art for hours. The photo to the right is entitled "Visitor."

In September 1985 a friend came to visit from California and decided to travel. Up until then, she had done no travelling at all in Mexico. The two of them piled into her car with some camping gear and headed for Colima. Of course there was nowhere to camp—no specifided place for camping. They decided to camp in a corn field, not too far from Colima. The next morning she was lying on my back between the corn rows when suddenly she became sick to her stomach.

The ground was pitching and rolling and heaving, and she wondered if this is the way it was there all the time? The upheaval ended up being the effect of the terrible earthquake that devastated Mexico City that day; they had camped not far from the epicenter. Although this must have been one of Xill's more unusual and "exciting" adventures, many more were to follow throughout her years in Mexico.

Xill's work has been exhibited locally, in Guadalajara, and in Mexico City and she has won coveted prizes for her photographic art. She is particularly moved by the indigenous women during Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) preparing the flowers for their night in the cemetery. Their simplicity and their reverence for what they were doing really struck a chord deep inside her. (The photo to the right is entitled "Juchitan."

She revels in going into the mountain villages and finding them living still very much as they were years ago-the trojes (typical wooden homes of the Purépecha), the big central pila (water trough) where the women did their wash, and the festivals with the jaripeo (bull games similar to a rodeo). Everyone in the whole town would go up the mountain to watch the action in the bull ring down below. The scene was like a field of flowers under the pine trees, because the women's clothing was so colorful. The photo to the left is entitled "Rosita con las cohetes".

In 1993, Xill opened CABA (Centro Ajijic de Bellas Artes - Fine Arts Center of Ajijic) with a partner in Ajijic. For years it was THE place to go to purchase folk and indigenous art. She had photography shows, wonderful handcraft exhibits and an excellent restaurant in the back. A venture like CABA was an enormous economic risk. Most arts centers are funded by a philanthropic foundation and continue to receive large grants to remain in existence. CABA was started without a philanthropic base of that sort. They operated solely on individual donations, most of which came from wonderful people right here in Ajijic. Eventually they couldn't continue. The decision was made to close CABA, sad and difficult though it was to do. The photo to the right was taken in 1985 by Xill and is simply entitled "Boat."

Xill's life continues to be as varied and evolving as her photography. If you are interested in purchasing the work of Xill Fessenden, please contact Marianne Carlson at (from the US) 01152 376 765 7485 or email marianne carlson@gmail.com.