The Piatua River, a tributary of the Amazon located in the Pastaza region of Ecuador, is believed to be millions of years old. It is home to a large amount of flora and fauna that has not yet been catalogued by the scientific world. For the Kichwa communities the river is sacred. It is a living being, with its own temperament and mood swings. It is respected and sometimes feared, loved and protected. For some years now, the river people have been fighting against the construction of the dam upstream. The connection and relationship with the river call them to resist the environmental threat established by the hydroelectric project. Here are some of the people who live this resistance from their daily lives.
Juan Grefa, one of the inhabitants who protect the Piatua River, next to one of the big rocks that are part of it. Santa Clara, Ecuador.
Juan Grefa, one of the inhabitants who protect the Piatua River, next to one of the big rocks that are part of it. Santa Clara, Ecuador.
Andrés Yépez
Andrés Yépez - Documentary photographer and Anthropologist based in Ecuador