In Mexico, a decade of images shows Mennonites' traditions frozen in time

In Mexico, a decade of images shows Mennonites' traditions frozen in time

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The Mennonite community in Chihuahua, Mexico, can trace its roots as far back as a century ago, when the first such settlers came seeking ideal farming land, isolation from the outside world and the preservation of their religion.

Here, their way of life is simple, with virtually no use of electricity or the internet. The community supports itself through its centuries-old tradition of farming: corn, chili peppers, cotton, onions.

. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Girls play on swings outside a school.

But life can be difficult for them as modern technology creeps closer to their doorstep. It's not as easy to maintain their isolation as it was a hundred years ago.

From low water reserves due to drought worsened by climate change to the rising cost of diesel to run farming pumps, the community has its own set of challenges as it seeks to thrive and grow.

. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
A father watches his son as he rides a horse outside his home.

For the last 100 years, Mexico has been home to Mennonite farmers, who migrated from Canada, where many still live.

Descendants of 16th-century Protestant Anabaptist radicals from Germany, the Low Countries and Switzerland, Mennonites rejected military service and the concept of a church hierarchy, suffering years of persecution and making them reliant on the patronage of rulers eager to exploit their belief that agriculture and faith are intertwined.

. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
A horse and cart ride past an out of service fuel dispenser.

The community of El Sabinal - Spanish for "The Juniper" - was founded nearly 30 years ago in the dry, desert-like terrain of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Today, Mennonite farmers have transformed it into fruitful farmland, often using antique farm equipment. They live in simple brick houses they build themselves, usually consisting of one open room.

As the Mennonites expanded their farmland in drought-prone Chihuahua, where they have several communities, the demand for water increased. Over the years, they have faced allegations of sinking illegal wells from local farmers who complain the government gives them preferential treatment.

. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Children of the Harder family look at the carcass of a cow hanging from a harness outside their home.

"It is very expensive to pump diesel here. There is still water, but they have to sink more wells," said Guillermo Andres, a Mennonite who arrived in El Sabinal as a teenager. His devout family eschews the use of electricity and pumps well water using diesel fuel, an increasingly costly practice.

. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Helena (L) and her sister Lizbeth (R) pose for a photograph outside their home.

The Mennonites' native language is typically Plautdietsch, a unique blend of Low German, Prussian dialects and Dutch. Many Mennonites, especially men who interact with local laborers, also speak Spanish.

From schools to general stores, almost everything the Mennonites need they have built for themselves within the confines of their own communities.

. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
A girls holds a basket in a supermarket.

Mennonites generally finish school by the age of 12. Boys and girls sit separately in classrooms, just as men and women do in church pews on Sundays.

It is not uncommon to see a child younger than 10 operating a tractor or driving a horse-drawn buggy on the white, dusty roads within the community.

. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
A child waves from a cart travelling through the snow.

These blue-eyed, blond-haired people marry young and focus on expanding their families. Many farmers said they had more than 10 children.

In this way, they practice their religion through their everyday life. Men tend to the fields while women maintain the gardens at home and care for the children.

. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
A child from the Friessen family sucks a lollipop.

The Mennonites' interaction with the outside world is mostly restricted to their relationships with local people who work for them as laborers in the community or to trips into town to buy goods.

. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez
A girl walks among pasture for animals.

"The traditions are living quietly in a neighborhood without trucks, without rubber tires, without electricity," Andres said. "Our traditions come from Russia, from Russia to Canada and from Canada to Mexico.

"I don't know about it (technology); that's how I was born and that's how I've been all my life; that's how I like to continue," he added.

(Picture Editing Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson and Kezia Levitas; Text Editing Jonathan Oatis; Layout Kezia Levitas)

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Slideshow

A girl hides between the skirts of Mennonite women.
. Cuahutemoc, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A girl hides between the skirts of Mennonite women.

A woman walks through a field with her two children.
. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A woman walks through a field with her two children.

Catalina rides a skateboard outside her home.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Catalina rides a skateboard outside her home.

Girls stand outside a house.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Girls stand outside a house.

Children attend a class at their school in Cuauhtemoc.
. Cuahutemoc, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Children attend a class at their school in Cuauhtemoc.

A girl sits on a tractor.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A girl sits on a tractor.

A woman milks a cow.
. Cuahutemoc, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A woman milks a cow.

Community leaders speak in front of a church after celebrating a wedding.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Community leaders speak in front of a church after celebrating a wedding.

Women leave church after attending Sunday mass.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Women leave church after attending Sunday mass.

Two boys play near their homes.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Two boys play near their homes.

Horses tied to carts stand in the snow outside a church.
. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Horses tied to carts stand in the snow outside a church.

A cow crosses a snow covered road.
. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A cow crosses a snow covered road.

Girls read the bible at their school.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Girls read the bible at their school.

Girls harvest strawberries outside their home.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Girls harvest strawberries outside their home.

Denim trousers are seen hanging to dry.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Denim trousers are seen hanging to dry.

A dead horse lies in an area affected by drought.
. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A dead horse lies in an area affected by drought.

Young people buy food for their animals.
. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Young people buy food for their animals.

Agatha (C) uses her mobile phone as her sisters Ana, Elena, Catalina and Margarita (L to R) surround her.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Agatha (C) uses her mobile phone as her sisters Ana, Elena, Catalina and Margarita (L to R) surround her.

Children wait for the bus to school.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Children wait for the bus to school.

A girl plays on a swing.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A girl plays on a swing.

A child plays with a kite.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A child plays with a kite.

A man collects chillis in a field.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A man collects chillis in a field.

A member of the Mennonite community drives machinery to harvest wheat.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A member of the Mennonite community drives machinery to harvest wheat.

Young Mennonites celebrate a wedding.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Young Mennonites celebrate a wedding.

Children of the Friessen family play outside their home.
. Ascension, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Children of the Friessen family play outside their home.

A Mennonite displays a photograph of his ancestors.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A Mennonite displays a photograph of his ancestors.

Mennonites make their way to a cemetery during the funeral of a member of their community.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Mennonites make their way to a cemetery during the funeral of a member of their community.

A woman fumigates outside her home.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

A woman fumigates outside her home.

Dresses hang on a line outside a house.
. Janos, Mexico. Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Dresses hang on a line outside a house.