Editorial: Photo Essay / Story (PROFESSIONAL) - HONORABLE MENTION
Linda Vista
Photo © David von Blohn
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In search of opportunities and escaping the economic crisis in their country, indigenous mayan families from Guatemala’s border region arrived around 20 years ago at the municipal rubbish dump of Mexico’s southern city Tapachula (State Chiapas) to start collecting and selling waste. The number of inhabitants of the area surrounding the dump has since increased to around 100 families living today in the settlement Linda Vista (Beautiful View), striving for dignity under difficult living conditions. Collecting and selling PET plastic, metal, glass and paper to local waste buyers provides the workers with an income of 35 to 100 Mexican Pesos (2 to 6.30 US Dollars) per day. Women, men and especially the children of Linda Vista live under precarious conditions, being exposed to pollution and living without water supply in improvised homes built with recycled materials. With community efforts, the inhabitants have built a catholic church and a small school; nevertheless, only a small number of the estimated more than 200 children living in Linda Vista visit the school. Activists criticise the role of Chiapas’ state government which has failed to establish a regular municipal school, provide medical services and water supply to the community of Linda Vista and accuse the dump administration of systematic exploitation of the women and men working in the rubbish dump.
Before starting to work as a freelancer, I volunteered for the independent Chilean newspaper El Ciudadano, collaborated with the international photojournalism agency NUR Photo and the Brazilian photo agency Alvorada Imagens and worked as a staff photographer for the Chilean press agency AgenciaUNO. My editorial images have been published in international magazines and newspapers, including TIME, The Guardian, Le Nouvel Observateur, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Internazionale, Al Jazeera America, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Amnesty International Magazine, ZEIT and La Tercera.
I studied Philosophy and speak German, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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In search of opportunities and escaping the economic crisis in their country, indigenous mayan families from Guatemala’s border region arrived around 20 years ago at the municipal rubbish dump of Mexico’s southern city Tapachula (State Chiapas) to start collecting and selling waste. The number of inhabitants of the area surrounding the dump has since increased to around 100 families living today in the settlement Linda Vista (Beautiful View), striving for dignity under difficult living conditions. Collecting and selling PET plastic, metal, glass and paper to local waste buyers provides the workers with an income of 35 to 100 Mexican Pesos (2 to 6.30 US Dollars) per day. Women, men and especially the children of Linda Vista live under precarious conditions, being exposed to pollution and living without water supply in improvised homes built with recycled materials. With community efforts, the inhabitants have built a catholic church and a small school; nevertheless, only a small number of the estimated more than 200 children living in Linda Vista visit the school. Activists criticise the role of Chiapas’ state government which has failed to establish a regular municipal school, provide medical services and water supply to the community of Linda Vista and accuse the dump administration of systematic exploitation of the women and men working in the rubbish dump.
About author:
I´m a photographer and videographer currently based in Chiapas, Mexico. I develop personal projects and collaborate with artists, international news outlets and nonprofit organisations to tell compelling visual stories that engage our audiences.Before starting to work as a freelancer, I volunteered for the independent Chilean newspaper El Ciudadano, collaborated with the international photojournalism agency NUR Photo and the Brazilian photo agency Alvorada Imagens and worked as a staff photographer for the Chilean press agency AgenciaUNO. My editorial images have been published in international magazines and newspapers, including TIME, The Guardian, Le Nouvel Observateur, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Internazionale, Al Jazeera America, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Amnesty International Magazine, ZEIT and La Tercera.
I studied Philosophy and speak German, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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