A ceramic figure from the Tumaco-La Tolita culture (700 BCE- 350 CE). This civilisation spanned the coastal areas of present-day Colombia and Ecuador. It has all the defining features of a shaman: the geometric patterns across the base and the chest, the ceremonial posture, and the erect penis (?). The facial expression may also indicate an altered state of consciousness. The geometric patterns suggest adornment specific to ceremonial function in these ancient Pacific coastal communities.

#TumacoLaTolita #Nariño #Colombia #Esmeraldas #Ecuador #SouthAmerica #preColumbian #precolonial #ancient #shaman #shamanism #shamanic #ceramic #indigenous #museum #archaeology #spirituality #history #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape #art #arte

This could be just rocks with water running through, but this carefully sheltered source with its exquisitely carved stones, part of the San Agustin archaeological park, is a true masterpiece. The Lavapatas ceremonial fountains represent one of South America's most remarkable water sanctuaries, where pre-Columbian artisans transformed natural bedrock into channels, pools, and symbolic carvings that still direct water flow millennia later. The view from the bamboo bridge is much better, but I'll keep for another post!

#Lavapatas #SanAgustin #Huila #Colombia #SouthAmerica #archeology #ancient #history #archaeologicalPark #preColumbian #precolonial #sacred #waters #UNESCO #sanctuary #CulturalHeritage #Columbia #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape #art #arte

Yes, unlike other indigenous tribes, they wear mostly occidental clothes outside of ceremonies, including wristwatches!

I don't often post photos of urban landscapes, but look at this view of Cusco. Cusco is the capital of archaeology in all of South America. At 3,400 metres above sea level, Cusco quite literally sits closer to the heavens. In Cusco the gods are so close you can almost touch them!

#Cusco #Cuzco #Qosqo #Qusqu #Peru #sacredValley #Andes #SouthAmerica #archaeology #capital #highAltitude #terraCotta #roofs #rooftops #Inca #Incas #ancient #history #mountain #mountains #culture #blueSky #blusky #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape #art #arte #streetPhotography

This trail through Machu Picchu wasn't built for tourists but for daily rituals, political messengers, and sacred processions. I still find it hard to believe that my friend walks this ancient way, ahead of me, exactly as thousands did before. Same tropical sky, same Andean mountains and yet completely different times at human scale.

#footpathFriday #MachuPicchu #Cusco #sacredValley #Peru #Andes #SouthAmerica #Inca #ancient #engineering #history #stone #AndeanPathways #trail #hiking #mountain #walking #PathLessTravelled #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape #art #arte #streetPhotography

I stayed a few weeks with a Taita (a shaman) in the mountains of South Ecuador. His place has this huge ground for sacred dancing. At its centre, stands a gorgeous brasero in shape of a seven-pointed sun (or star). I was fascinated by this piece. Unfortunately, I never got to experience a dance ceremony there.

#ceremony #sacred #ritual #dance #dancing #ground #fire #brasero #shaman #Oña #Ecuador #SouthAmerica #ceremonialGrounds #ancestralTraditions #sacredFire #ritualSpace #mountain #indigenous #stones #SevenPointStar #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #natureza #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #travels #trip #landscape #art #arte

Nature is paradoxical. A beautiful chaos that somehow finds perfect balance. Humans should take inspiration in the resilience of nature and copy its seeming disorder rather resorting to rigid structures. I can't remember taking this photo, but this tree must have struck me back then, when I was in San Agustin, South of Colombia.

#SanAgustin #Huila #Colombia #SouthAmerica #tree #nature #forest #ancientTree #natureWisdom #forestBathing #roots #treeOfLife #wilderness #green #therapy #earth #medicine #Columbia #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #natureza #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape

Casa típica do Povo Wajãpi, comunidade indígena que habita o extremo norte da Amazônia brasileira, já na fronteira com a Guiana Francesa. A casa fica suspensa, a quase dois metros do chão. A parte superior é usada para dormir, enquanto a parte de baixo (no solo) é usada para cozinhar, descascar mandioca, brincar com as crianças, além de outras atividades do dia a dia.

* Typical house of the Wajãpi People, an indigenous community that inhabits the far north of the Brazilian Amazon, already on the border with French Guiana. The house is suspended, almost two meters from the ground. The upper part is used for sleeping, while the lower part (on the ground) is used for cooking, peeling cassava, playing with children and other daily activities.

#comunidadeindígena #indígena #indigenous #wajãpi #casa #tradicional #indigenouspeople #cesto #tradicional #brasil #brazil #bresil #brasile #bresilien #amazônia #amazonrainforest #amazon #amazonie

If you listen carefully, you'll hear this ceramic figure from Antioquia (Northwest of Colombia) whispering ancient stories. Indigenous artisans crafted this piece between 600 and 900 CE, and yet it looks so modern. I admire how they managed to capture such a profound serenity and wisdom in its peaceful expression.

#wisdom #peace #shaman #Antioquia #Colombia #SouthAmerica #preColumbian #precolonial #indigenous #art #ancient #ceramic #archaeology #culture #history #museum #Columbia #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #travels #trip #landscape #art #arte

Preparing for a sacred ritual: hours before an ayahuasca ceremony with the Huni Kuin (Kashinawa), I received traditional protective tattoos. The dark lines are made from Genipa fruit ink, a natural pigment from a tree indigenous to the Americas. The red markings, known as urucu in Portuguese, come from the achiote shrub. Each pattern holds a particular meaning.

#HuniKuin #HuniKuins #Kashinawa #Cashinahua #Caxinauá #indigenous #indigenousPeoples #indigenousCulture #native #Acre #Brazil #SouthAmerica #Amazon #rainforest #jungle #ayahuasca #tattoo #sacred #ritual #ceremony #tradition #pigments #ink #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #natureza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #trip #landscape #art #arte

View of Ollantaytambo through an ancient window, Incan stones framing the present day. As I stood there, in the mountain storehouses (I posted a photo of them some time ago), I thought the climb was really worth it!

#windowFriday #Ollantaytambo #Ullantaytampu #Cusco #Cuzco #Qosqo #Qusqu #Peru #sacredValley #Andes #SouthAmerica #precolonial #precolombian #Inca #qullqas #ancient #history #mountains #architecture #stoneWork #civilisation #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape #art #arte

At an elevation of 3,723 meters, Chinchero is located between Urubamba and Cusco. During the Inca Empire, Chinchero served as an important town and administrative center. The site is considered sacred by the Inca people and is still a significant pilgrimage destination for the Quechua and other Andean communities.

Chinchero is known for its traditional textile arts and weaving. The locals continues to maintain the Inca weaving techniques, producing textiles, rugs, shawls, ponchos, and other woven goods out of alpaca and sheep wool.

We went to visit Chinchero - like everywhere - by local bus. The first picture shows how women here carry and entertain their babies 🙈

When we arrived, we were a bit disappointed because the market—which had been described everywhere as huge and spectacular—was really small. There were only some women sitting on the floor and selling the same artisanal goods you find everywhere else in the Sacred Valley of Cusco...

The weaving showroom was interesting though. The woman there showed us how they traditionally weave and explained with which materials from nature the wool is dyed.

—> 5 📸 pictures in this post

#chinchero #sacredvalley #peru #inca #weaver #travelphotography #photography

I loved these llamas peacefully grazing among the ruins of Pumapungo ("the door of the puma" in Quechua), a city laid by the Incas centuries ago. This place, that was compared to the empire capital, Cusco, was the northern border of the Inca territory. It is in current day Cuenca, Ecuador.

#Pumapungo #Tumebamba #Cuenca #Ecuador #SouthEcuador #SouthAmerica #Inca #Incas #indigenous #ruin #ruins #ancient #city #history #llamas #cute #animal #animals #Andes #precolumbian #precolonial #culture #archaeology #civilisation #Cañari #landmark #incaEmpire #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #natureza #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #trip #landscape #art #arte #streetPhotography

Thank you! Yes the view was pretty magical

That morning, when I was in the South of Ecuador, I was struck by the beauty of the clouds below. It was a rare moment as they fade quickly not to return until the next morning. What wisdom might we gain if we learned to listen to landscapes?

#SouthEcuador #Ecuador #Andes #SouthAmerica #mountain #mountains #mountainMagic #cloud #clouds #cloudScape #morning #naturalWonder #mist #landscapePhotography #mountainViews #wildEcuador #morningMist #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #natureza #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #landscape

Yes, Cusco feels very special as a city!

Beautiful handmade smudging sticks from Ecuador. My Taita's neighbour crafted these gorgeous tools. Each bundle is made with specific plants chosen for their unique properties and energetic resonance. There is not better way to hold an intention than using a cleansing smoke that speaks a language older than words.

#smudging #sticks #smudgingSticks #Ecuador #plantMedicine #indigenousWisdom #Taita #knowledge #energy #sacred #sacredPlants #Ecuador #SouthAmerica #healing #naturalMedicine #shamanism #spirituality #wisdom #ritual #smoke #sacredSmoke #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #trip #landscape #art #arte

Cusco is the city that has been continuously inhabited for the longest time in all of South America. I admire its long and straight streets, lined with perfectly fitted stones. I sometimes wish I could have visited it during the heights of the Inca empire!

#footpathFriday #Cusco #Cuzco #Qosqo #Qusqu #sacredValley #Peru #SouthAmerica #Inca #Incas #IncaEmpire #engineering #ancient #city #urban #streets #pavement #precolonial #precolombian #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #naturaleza #naturePhotography #pixelfed #travel #trip #landscape #art #arte #streetPhotography

A moment of connection where Huni Kuin women, gathered inside the ceremonial maloca, share stories and prepare for an ayahuasca ceremony. Some journeyed days by river to be here. There is no shaman and no healing without a community to support.

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In these beautiful malocas, traditional dwellings, of the Huni Kuin indigenous people, one family makes their life within these wooden walls. Typically, their blood relatives occupy nearby dwellings. The community is thus bound by both kinship and tradition.

#HuniKuin #HuniKuins #Kashinawa #Cashinahua #Caxinauá #indigenous #indigenousPeoples #indigenousCulture #native #Acre #Brazil #SouthAmerica #Amazon #rainforest #jungle #AmazonLife #maloca #malocas #laundry #sunshine #sustainable #village #photography #photo #fotografia #foto #nature #natureza #pixelfed #travel #landscape