An armed robbery caught on film. From ‘Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz’ © Unknown photographer

Stefan Ruiz spotted the photos on a market stall in Mexico City five years ago, adding to his collection on further meetings with the seller over the following six months.

The archive includes stills of armed robbery and police mugshots.

‘Although Ruiz never found out the specific source, it is probable that the photographs come from the Mexico City’s police archives,’ states the book’s publisher GOST Books.

‘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.’

27_Mexico_Mugshots_151_MAX_B1.webFrom ‘Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz’ © Unknown photographer

Dr Benjamin Smith, associate professor of Latin American History at the University of Warwick, said: ‘In Mexico, contemporary events often evoke strong historical echoes. The photographs in this collection and the stories that underpin them still have resonance 40 or 50 years later.’

Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz costs £25.

For details visit www.gostbooks.com or email info@gostbooks.com.

44_Mexico_Mugshots_360_MAX_B1.webFrom ‘Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz’ © Unknown photographer

93_Mexico_Mugshots_339_MAX_B1 copy.webFrom ‘Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz’ © Unknown photographer

01_Mexico_Mugshots_001_MAX_B1.webFrom ‘Mexican Crime Photographs from the archive of Stefan Ruiz’ © Unknown photographer