PUTNEY — When Kate Cleghorn first visited Puebla, Mexico in 1984, she found the country “a revelation.”

In a recent interview, she launched into a discussion of Mexico’s origin story, noting that its leader Montezuma believed that gods from the East would come to rule.

When the Spanish explorer Cortez came from the East, Montezuma asked only for Cortez’s helmet. Cortez agreed — but asked for it to be returned filled with gold. When it was, Cortez’s conquest gained urgency.

In that early exchange lie paradoxes at the root of Mexico today. Faith in a spiritual world led to temporal destruction. What the Western world saw as weakness belies an inner strength and celebration of mystery.

That belief in prophecy, of a spirit world that governs life — that sense intrigued Cleghorn. In her many travels throughout rural Mexico, the Southern Vermont photographer came to see that “there is magic in this acceptance of a spiritual world residing in nature.”

Her new book, “Mexico: Spirit of Place,” contains 48 full-page black-and-white photographs.

“Puppet Priest” fuses the Spanish influence of Catholicism with the indigenous beliefs, in this case the love of giants, as embodied by the man in the foreground wearing a costume. Part of this fusion of Catholic and indigenous beliefs, Cleghorn notes, is that many current cathedrals are built on ancient religious sites.

For “Goat Herder,” Cleghorn “did not intend to create a centaur,” yet the blurring of goat herder and dog hints at a closeness, and their images, too, are close to the tree that dominates this dry landscape.

“Bare Feet” is influenced by Nell Dorr, who traveled to Mexico and wrote a book with that name. “I happened upon this woman on the beach,” said Cleghorn. She did not want to be photographed, but agreed to step into the frame and have her feet photographed. “Photographing ordinary people, ordinary things” ties into themes of another photographer she admires, Manuel Álvarez Bravo.

“Incense” underscores Mexicans’ use of incense in ceremonies. A priest stands in the background. The shapes are in harmony here, the sweep of scarf, the arch above, the woman in the center of this impromptu image. (And just what is the man in white shirt doing? Photoshop could remove him — but this is a film image.)

“Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro buried by lava by the volcano Paricutin” shows the effects some 80 years after the volcanic eruption. Cleghorn likes this image in part because of her efforts to get it: “It was so hard to get to: I had to ride a horse for a couple of hours and walk across lava.” The lack of vegetation all these years later “shows what the lava can do,” she said.

“Fish, Puerto Escondido” was taken on the Oaxacan coast of the Pacific Ocean. “I loved the textures involved … and the play of the light and dark … I like organic subjects — fish, dogs, plants,” said Cleghorn. She has returned to this image repeatedly using gravure, platinum print, and salted paper to vary textures and shadings.

Part of her motivation for publishing the book was to show Mexico, a place she loves, in a positive light. She always felt safe there, whether traveling alone and with others, at times helping a professor from Rice University leading tours. She has been away for nine years, but doubts that things in rural areas would have changed. “I never had any problems ever … People are hospitable, they bring you into their homes.”

“Mexico: Spirit of Place” is available at Vermont Center for Photography, vcpbookshop.org, of Brattleboro.