Culture of Mexico: badass bandit sitting on bench in Playa del Carmen

Sometimes, I have troubles finding a decent entry for the subthemes of the #smartphonephotography contest hosted by @juliank but when I found out today´s topic is “benches”, I knew exactly what shot I would go for :)

^{Click on the image for full view}

This cool bronze sculpture of the archetypal badass Mexican bandit chilling on a bench is located on the Fifth Avenue (La Quinta Avenida) in the center of Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

It is believed the origin of this stereotypical Mexican figure with a huge sombrero, thick mustache and crisscrossed bandoliers is derived from Pancho Villa, an army commander and one of the most important figures of the Mexican Revolution.

Whether the sculpture represents Pancho Villa or not, one thing is for sure – this bronze dude is by far the most photographed figure in the town. It is almost impossible to take a shot of him without some tourists sitting next to him or even on his lap.

Czech / Česky:

Když jsem zjistil, že téma dnešního #smartphonephotography contestu jsou lavičky, hned jsem věděl kam sáhnout. Tenhle bronzový drsňák vysedává na lavičce jen pár bloků od naší ulice, takže ho potkáváme dost často :) Předlohou této archetypální mexické postavy je údajně slavný mexický vojevůdce a revolucionář Pancho Villa. Jestli má být i tato socha jeho podobiznou, to netuším, ale určitě se jedná o nejvíce fotografovanou postavu ve městě :)

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