Echoes of the Lake: Latin America Professional Award 3rd Place
Sony World Photography Awards 2024


In early September 2023, I set out on a journey to film a documentary for the ARTE network. During my visit, I witnessed the gradual drying up of the Desaguadero River, which serves as the main tributary to Bolivia's second largest lake. This drying trend has occurred in recent years due to mining, agriculture, and urban expansion along its course toward a lake that now exists only in memory.

In a small community on the banks of what was once their source of life, 14 families of the Uru ethnic group remain, embodying the consequences of a world that demands more and more resources to sustain an ever-expanding way of life.


Conquered by Aridity

Two Uru community leaders pose on the remains of one of their fishing boats in the dwindling waters of Lake Poopó, Bolivia. 

Shores of Solitude

Pablo, one of the few remaining inhabitants of the Uru community, sits on what used to be his old fishing boat.

Once a Lake

Evangelino, a resident of the Desaguadero River basin, spends his days digging a well to provide water for his family and livestock.

Lake's Last Breath

After performing a sacred ritual to entreat the return of rain, a group of families returns to their village, filled with hope. 

Legacy of Drought

Abdon gently cradles a bird that once called Lake Poopó home. 

New Species

Abdon, along with another community leader, holds a fishing net that now holds a cell phone with pictures of the fish they used to catch. 

Gone with the Water

Felix, the eldest of the Urus, is holding a photograph of the ancient inhabitants floating on the lake in their canoes. 

Exodus from the Dying Oasis

Felix, the eldest among the ancient Urus fishermen, now sustains his livelihood by crafting miniature replicas of the very canoes he once used for fishing. 

Deserted Shores

Seated in what was once their traditional boat, two Urus, adorned in ceremonial ponchos, chew coca leaves and offer prayers to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) as the sun sets. 

It is difficult to imagine a world without mining and technology. But a world without water is simply impossible.
PICTURES BY EL MANO Ⓡ II Curated by Roberto Candia II Edition by Joaquin Zaldivar
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