The series of images were taken in Chaqui, a small indigenous village with thermal springs, next to the mining community of Potosi, Bolivia. Miners and their families from neighboring Potosi frequent this small village for peace and. It is said the hot thermal waters have healing properties, which offers peace; a world away from the hard labor they endure as miners and other arduous jobs.
The series of images were taken in Chaqui, a small indigenous village with thermal springs, next to the mining community of Potosi, Bolivia.
Miners and their families from neighboring Potosi frequent this small village for peace and. It is said the hot thermal waters have healing properties, which offers peace; a world away from the hard labor they endure as miners and other arduous jobs. When I had arrived in Chaqui, I was documenting the Chaqui hot springs as part of a larger body of work on the community of Potosi.
I found a magical and raw beauty in Chaqui in of itself, and was compelled to capture Chaqui as a standalone portrait series to reflect this beauty. The bathers of all ages gather in a small room filled steam and heat and as the hours go by the hardened faces soften and their gazes turn inward. I wanted to photograph without objectifying the bathers who were trusting enough to stand before my camera, without embarrassment or excuse. In a culture that can appear quite cold and isolated from an outside perspective, here in Chaqui, appeared a beauty, humility and grace without barriers.