Presa Nueva de Jalpa de Cánovas

Presa Nueva is the larger of the two dams at Jalpa de Cánovas, a farming village in Guanajuato close to the Jalisco border. Work on it started late in the 1800s and the wall runs across the valley with its arches stretching out almost endlessly. That wall is the perfect subject. You can walk out along the top and capture the long straight line running off to the end of your frame, with water on one side and the drop on the other. From the banks you can get low and go wide so the reservoir fills your frame. Early in the day is the best time to be here. The still air in the early hours leaves the surface flat enough to hold reflections. Kayaks and small boats go out from here, which puts you at water level looking back up at the wall. Water birds often dot the shallows. Make sure to check the water level before you drive out, the reservoir sometimes sits nearly empty through the dry season and then fills right to the top after the rains come back. After a very heavy rain the gates get opened and access to the dam may be closed, so ask in the village first. (Jalpa de Cánovas, Guanajuato, Mexico)