Spanish photographer Manuel Landeira Perez (@doublezzeta) has been capturing the streets of his hometown, Vigo, with a unique style of street photography that gives an unfiltered glimpse into the spirit of the city. From architecture to citizens, Manuel paints an intimate narrative of his town’s unique duality—striving for contemporary life without losing sight of their roots in tradition. Check out his photography and read a few words from the man himself below:

My name is Manuel Landeira and I live in Vigo. Where and what the f**k is Vigo? Well, if I name Madrid or Barcelona, you’ll know where I’m talking about, but the truth is that I live in the opposite coast to Barcelona, in the Iberian Peninsula right above Portugal. Spain, Galicia, Vigo.

Galicia is a land where, in the Middle Ages, people believed this was the end of the world, where dragons lived. (Like for real, nobody dared to enter this zone at that time, and there is an area full of deadly cliffs called “Finis Terre,” literally translated from Latin: End of the Earth.) So I don’t blame you for not knowing where I am located.

Vigo has two faces. It’s a city with a village flavor, and my neighborhood is the best example. Old houses, old widows, churches on the top of little mountains, and a strange passion for pink and pastel colors—which reminds me of La Habana, showing the older face of the city and the area.

On the other side of the coin, we have a huge craving to grasp at all modernization, but keep our roots deep in tradition. We are pioneers in marine biology and we have one of the most important sea ports in the world.

Between these two faces, there are streets hiding the locals whose inner strength pushes them to work hard, with no distinction of age or sex, to improve their lives.

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Follow Manuel on Instagram @doublezzeta and on Tumblr at doublezzeta.tumblr.com.