Don Juanito died on May 28, at the age of 77
Juan Olivares «Juanito» – July 12, 1944 – May 28, 2022. Credit: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- One of Ajijic’s first and most prolific photographers, Juan «Juanito» Olivares, died last Saturday, May 28, 2022. He is survived by his wife Alicia Morales from Ajijic, and three children: Aquiles, Imelda, and Judith. He leaves behind a historical photo narrative covering almost his entire life
He was born on July 12, 1944 in Ajijic. His parents were Antonio Olivares and Romana Sánchez. In an interview from two years ago, Juanito said that he began his artistic career before his 20th birthday, with a plastic arts course. He used photography to improve his drawing technique, but soon photography became his main medium. Of his success, he explained, «when I was doing well, I would print up to 300 photos. When I started, the photos cost 50 centavos, and they went up to 75 centavos, one peso, two, three, and so on until they cost what they cost today.»
With his steadily increasing reputation, he became a fixture at town festivities, and important celebrations throughout the town. During this interview, he nostalgically mentioned how his work as a photographer was devalued over time, due to the advent of cell phones. Even so, he continued painting and making signs and small landscapes for businesses in town. Until the end of his days he remained in love with his little town of Ajijic, «the landscapes have changed a lot because of the development, but it is still beautiful every moment of the day.”
His collection included photos of old hammocks, fishermen, the lakeshore when it still had no pier, no boardwalk, and other landscapes of many iconic Ajijic sites. Some of what he photographed remains today, but much has disappeared; his body of work is art and history. He photographed traditions that are now almost extinct, such as the Day of the Cross, and the Day of the Altars of Sorrows.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
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