I first fell in love with Central America when I traveled there between 2007 and 2011. I visited Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, photographing the people, the terrain and architecture. After visiting Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras, I was in awe of how the Mayan people constructed their enormous temples in 500AD and wanted to explore more countries.

The Mauser Foundation residency in 2019 allowed me to continue this project by living in the jungle and traveling to San Jose, the capital. Often, I would get up at dawn and walk on the road or go out at sunset, photographing whomever was walking or driving by. Each Thursday, the gardeners would come and we’d talk. I was especially taken with how they did their job in such challenging terrain. Each Saturday the cleaners would come in their colorful outfits. In the middle of my stay, I traveled three hours by car to San Jose to walk around the city, photographing people at work and visit the history museums.

Ann Rosen

Ann Rosen