Latin America Professional Award: first look

The effort to conserve more than 54 varieties of corn in Peru and 65 varieties in Mexico has endured for more than 7,500 years. The Indigenous Quechua, Wari, Nahua, Otomi and Wanka tend the land with unique traditions, fiercely protecting their corn seeds as a vital link to their spirit. Each variety, which differs in species, size, colour and shape, carries its own story, endowed with personal meaning and purpose. Corn is not only a staple food, but also a precious element in pre-Columbian rites that endure today; an element that is offered to the Earth or used in healing ceremonies.

‘We plant the seeds with the power of the song,’ shares Magdalena, an elder from the Andes. These indigenous communities unveil unique and innovative solutions in response to climate change and the devastating impact of severe droughts. Their tender gestures, songs and poems become a conduit for communicating with nature and healing the Earth."

Alquimia Textil is a collaborative project undertaken by Nicolás Garrido Huguet and researcher and fashion designer María Lucía Muñoz, which showcases the natural dyeing techniques practiced by the artisans of Pumaqwasin in Chinchero, Cusco, Peru. The project aims to bring visibility to, and help preserve, these ancestral dyeing practices, which demand many hours of meticulous work that is often underestimated within the textile sector. Industrial methods are close to displacing these traditional dyeing processes completely, while climate change threatens the plants that are crucial to these practices. These photographs feature three dye types: qolle (Buddleja coriacea), a shrub with yellow-producing flowers; ch’illka (Baccharis sp.), a shrub whose leaves and stems yield ochre and green hues; and cochineal (Dactylopius coccus), an Andean insect producing reds, carmines and purples in a broad color spectrum.

This project aims to give an account of the Indigenous Mbyá Guaraní community, Tekoa El Chapá, which is located in Misiones, Argentina. These Indigenous communities inhabit southern Brazil, parts of Paraguay and Misiones in northeast Argentina. Their mother tongue is Mbyá, which can be translated as ‘people’ or ‘many people in one place.’ Their worldview is shaped by the land, and they view themselves and each other as extensions of the environment around them, brought to life by Nanderú, ‘The Creator.’ They preserve a traditional way of life called ‘tekoa,’ which refers to a territory where the ‘teko’ – the Guaraní ‘way of being’ – is practiced (agriculture, hunting, fishing and spirituality in harmony with the land). Their history and existence depend exclusively on collective and shared memory, emphasising the ‘community’ that is fundamental for their survival.