Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz

In 2010, artist Stefan Ruiz stumbled upon a treasure trove of Mexican crime photographs on a stall in Mexico City’s sprawling thrift market, La Lagunilla. Over the next six months he met the seller on repeated occasions, each time purchasing more and more of the collection, thought to come from Mexico City’s police archives.

Published for the first time a selection of over 100 mugshots, stills of armed robbery, and artists’ impressions of both notorious criminals and stolen jewelry from the late 1950s to early 1970s. The images, many damaged, some presented in their original groups, and all annotated with white handwritten text, offer multiple insights into crime in mid-century Mexico.