Agustín Casasola, born in 1874, is one of the most influential, notable Mexican photographers of all-time. He was partial founder of the Mexican Association of Press Photographers, which was established in 1910, the same year that the Mexican Revolution roared and reared its ugly head. One year later, the Graphic Information Agency was also found by Casasola, and it would go on to become the first photo agency in the world to include other photographers. Casasola said, “I have or can produce the photo you need.” Casasola was originally a typographer, by profession, but decided to become a “news-hunting” reporter. In 1902, when the camera fell into his hands, he was ceaseless in his desire to seek-out images and let their reality shine, not only through that period, but now throughout history. He became, in his own words, “a slave of the moment.”

The photography agency went on to grow to 483 photographers, capturing many varying aspects of Mexican culture during that time: from the Mexican Revolution, prostitutes, business owners and the daily lives of hard-working citizens, as well as random acts of violence. In 1976, the Mexican government purchased The Casasola Archive and is currently housed at the INAH (National Institute for Anthropology and History) Fototeca in the city of Pachuca in the state of Hidalgo, and contains over 600,000 negatives made by the agency.