1994 Photo Contest, Daily Life, 1st prize
Photographer

Larry Towell

Magnum Photos

01 January, 1993

Mennonite girls in a corn field in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. Mennonites are a protestant group descended from the 16th-century Anabaptists. They oppose military service, favor plain dress and believe that schooling threatens their way of life. In the 1920s, groups of Mennonites emigrated from Canada to Mexico to escape government interference. In most Mexican colonies jewelry, watches and recorded music are banned, and it is forbidden to drive or own a vehicle. Today some 50,000 of Mennonites still live in northern Mexico, but thousands have moved back north because of the harsh conditions. Those who return to the fertile fields of Canada, however, frequently have difficulty adjusting.

About the photographer

Larry Towell

Larry Towell has worked for many years as a freelance Magnum photographer in areas of conflict and social unrest. His work has resulted in thirteen books, hundreds of journal pub...

This image is collected in