With a population hovering around 500 permanent residents, Troncones has magically maintained a charming sense of isolation—both good and bad for a cyber-phile like me as I try and find an internet connection and an ATM machine, the latter of which does not exist here.

I journeyed here with five close friends, and I can't think of a more unspoiled and unassuming place in which to say goodbye to 2011. I count Mexico as one of my favorite places to travel, unwind, and recharge. Proof? I have visited some 11 times over the past 20 years—Mexico City, Sayulita (x3), Zacatecas, Gunajuato, Durango, Zihuatanejo, even Ciudad Juárez, and Tijuana. Mexico is a beautiful woman with many faces, and one that takes a while to get to know. I am just now feeling like we are becoming good friends.

¡Viva México!

I want to take a minute now to thank this woman for the influence she has had on my design and typography aesthetic. Most designers know of the wonderfully brilliant op-art inspired 1968 Mexico Olympic Logo (designed by American Lance Wyman), but here I present images all taken in Troncones this past week—many done by local artists. It is a snapshot, but well represents the bigger picture - this country is full of an imaginative beauty, multi-faceted and highly distinctive.

P.S. Wouldn't it be great if Rockport hired me to do a book on Mexican design?