Yolanda Escobar Jiménez (The Everyday Projects) Two women talking in the street during the celebrations of the Assumption of the Virgin. Casabindo, Argentina, 2006.
“The Inca Trail passed through Casabindo, a village with a rich historical an
(...) d archaeological past that has only 200 inhabitants and feels stopped in time. But it is better known for the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin. Casabindo’s history -- born of the relationships between the pre-Hispanic people, the Spanish conquerors, and the modern inhabitants -- caught my attention as a photographer. It is a mixture that summons thousands of curious people every August 15th to celebrate the Assumption festivities in Casabindo, including the Hispanic practice of tauromachy: El Toreo de la Vincha (The Bullfighting of the Headband). Magical syncretism in the Andean world: the most deeply rooted Christian practices are mixed with the rites that survived colonialism. The community prays and dresses up the Virgin, and at the same time worships the Pachamama (Mother Earth) through all kinds of offerings. They stomp ancestral dances as they carry the frame with the image of the Virgin through the narrow streets of this village made of adobe; the historical and cultural richness of this place is infinite.”
– Yolanda Escobar Jiménez
