Memoria de la Tierra

A tribute to the lives of the people of my home country, Venezuela, a country that despite suffering decades of violence and one of the biggest economic crises in the world continues to show a parallel world of courage and beauty.

Memory of the Earth is a photographic documentary series that immortalizes the life of José Luis, a kidnapping survivor in Venezuela and former truck driver who decided to return to his ancestral rural farm in El Morro. In this remote part of the Venezuelan Andes, José Luis' family have guarded the land for generations, preserving an ecosystem with a rich diversity of native flora and fauna including cacti and cujis.

For many years the arid mountains of El Morro has been a hotspot to raise Goats. It was declared a breeding area where the goats graze freely, feeding off the vegetation that grows there naturally. After being kidnapped and released, José Luis decided to return to his farm and raise goats, earning a living by selling milk and cheese.

This project captures the human capacity for perseverance and care in the midst of crisis. The life of José Luis' is a reflection of many Venezuelans living in rural areas where access to basic services is limited, but who have managed to develop self-sustaining strategies that allow them to get by on a day-to-day basis.