The Journey South

The Journey South is a series of portraits in medium analogue format of children who have migrated from different parts of Latin America to the Chilean city of Curicó. The instability, violence and lack of opportunities have, over the years, pushed entire families to leave behind their places of origin and look towards the North as an alternative. Nowadays there is a new reality. The tightening of the immigration laws in the United States and the rise of xenophobia in the public and political sphere, have made the popular myth of the American dream become diluted for some. Thus, new less-known routes have begun to be considered towards the southern hemisphere of the Americas. In recent years there have been massive migrations from the Caribbean and neighbouring countries, to the south of the continent, in particular Chile. The journey hasn’t been easy. Some of the children portrayed have rejoined their families after years of being apart from their parents, living with distant relatives. In some cases they have travelled to Chile accompanied by strangers, once their parents have, to an extent, overcome the initial instability. The photographic series was taken in the intimacy of their homes. These are the portraits of ten children who in 2017 migrated from Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti to the South.