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  • Jichi, the Water Keeper

    A mysterious being manifests itself usually as a large snake. The basin of the Guapomó dam or reservoir is located within the Chiquitano Dry Forest of the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Its waters flow into the San Ignacio de Velasco dam, which covers an area of 300 square kilometers. Its ecosystem is under the…

  • Reconnecting with Pacha: Photographic Essay

    For millennia, people have integrated agriculture into their way of life. The communities of the altiplano have a special connection with the land because it provides them with food. For this reason, Aymara culture is strongly linked to rituals such as the challa,[1] at carnivals and in August, which is the month of Pachamama. …

  • Meet the First Generation of Awasqa Youth Scholars

    It is with great joy that we want to introduce the first eight young Awasqa Youth Scholarship recipients! The main objective of the Awasqa Youth Scholarship is to create networks across Latin America and to give visibility to the work of Black and indigenous youth who are leading in the fields of community journalism, communication…

  • Community meeting and informational session on the impacts of the two dams

    Bolivia: The Hostile Takeover of Indigenous Organizations

    On January 11, Mongabay reported on the pernicious impacts that El Chepete-Balas massive hydroelectric project would have on more than 5,000 indigenous people and the biosphere of the Madidi National Park and Pilón Lajas Reserve. The construction of two dams on Beni River’s Chepete Gorge and El Bala Gorge, respectively, is a project that dates…

  • Bolivia: The March for the Earth, the territory and for identity, returns home

    FROM THE EDITORS: After close to 100 days of resistance in Bolivia’s lowlands, indigenous representatives of the newly created Parlamento de la Naciones Indígenas de la Amazonía, Oriente y Chaco bolivianos (PNIAOC) decided to return home without the hoped dialogue with Luis Arce’s government, which instead organized parallel events to undermine this indigenous movement. The…

  • Notes from the XI Indigenous March in Bolivia

    I was able to spend part of the last week visiting with the XI Indigenous March for the Defense of the Territory, Identity and Culture of the Indigenous Peoples of the Lowlands in the city of Santa Cruz. The following text and photos are some of my initial impressions of the gathering of Indigenous peoples…

  • Pachamama, Pachamamistas, and Other Labels: A Few Notes of Caution

    In political debates in general, as well as in discussions about development strategies, it is very common to appeal to generalized and, therefore, ambiguous labels. Among the best known cases are the use of words like indigenous or Indian, and more recently, Pachamama. Some believe that it is enough to mention them to turn their…

  • “Re-encuentro con la Pachamama” in Bolivia: An Environmental Response to the Climate Crisis?

    Bolivia’s government marked the Day of Mother Earth—adopted internationally in 2009 through a UN resolution, thanks to Evo Morales’ stewardship—by launching an event called “Re-encuentro con la Pachamama.” The event was called forth by Bolivia’s Vice President David Choquehuanca, former foreign minister (2006-2017) and Aymara union and campesino organizer in the 1980s, whose leadership was…