Portrait nominee

The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are native Amerindians from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador (Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. Their ancestral lands are located between the Curaray and Napo rivers, about 50 miles (80 km) south of El Coca. These homelands—approximately 120 miles (190 km) wide and 75 to 100 miles (120 to 160 km) from north to south – are threatened by oil exploration and illegal logging practices. In the past, Huaorani were able to protect their culture and lands from both indigenous enemies and settlers. In 2018, Ecuador’s Minister of Hydrocarbons announced an auction of 16 new oil concessions covering roadless, primary forest in the titled territories of the Shuar, Achuar, Kichwa, Waorani, Shiwiar, Andoa, and Sápara nations. The region is home to some of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet. Oil giants such as Exxon and Shell have expressed interest. The Waorani have protected their way of life and forest from oil drilling and demonstrated in court that the Ecuadorian government violated indigenous rights across the Amazon. There are 7 million acres of indigenous territory still on the auction block, and it’s going to take a global movement to force the Ecuadorian government to abandon their plans to sell the Amazon to oil companies.

I graduated in Professional Photography and Visual Arts from the EFTI School (International Center for Photography and Cinema) Madrid, Spain.
My work focuses on the documentary, occasionally collaborating with NGOs and organizations whose objective is to preserve life, culture and the environment. I dedicate most of my time to my personal project, currently focused on graphically documenting culture and life in the Amazon.