The Peruvian jungle is part of the largest tropical rainforest in the world: “The Amazon”. Due to its size, many places remain unknown even to natives. Thus, as you go into the heart of the rainforest a darker and shadier atmosphere is perceived.
Indigenous communities have a lot of respect for magic, witch craft and “curanderia” or traditional natural healing. Part of it, lies in legends that are transmitted through gene- rations amongst ethnic groups, but what is most important is that these belong to their cosmovision: beliefs and way of living life. These communities inhabit in this magical uni- verse, where the Amazon River is the mother of their mythology and it represents ancestral strength and knowledge. Within these beliefs, the main characters are creatures with ani- mal or anthropomorphic features, which are considered deities and guardians of the forest, but at same time they are demons that enchant their victims to lose them into the woods and rivers, without letting them return or devouring them.
“Yacumama” is one of the most important deities in the Amazon mythology. Her name means “mother of the water” in quechua, and ancient language of indigenous ethnic groups in Peru. It is believed that this huge anaconda shaped creature descended from the sky and landed in the rainforest giving origin to the Amazon River. She is in charge of protecting the waters, giving fertility and color to the rainforest and joining the three worlds: “Janan Pacha” (heaven), “Cay Pacha” (earth) and Uku Pacha (hell).
This project combines documentary photographies, self-portraits and construction of images with different material manipulation. These photographs were taken during my stays in “Las Palmas”, a native community in Iquitos, Perú.
Graphic Description of the image displayed:
Canvas 175 x 175cm . It is composed by 3 photographies that belong the project "Yacumama", that contains 12 images in sequence.