Cultural reverence

Photographer

Thibault Gerbaldi

Category

People Photography - Portrait

Company

Submission Group

Amateur

Year

2026

Country / Region:

United States

Wrapped in a handwoven poncho bearing ancestral Andean patterns, an alpaca herder from Pampallacta looks across the mountains that have sustained his community for generations. At altitudes above 4,000 meters, alpacas are central to both livelihood and identity, providing wool, transport, and economic security. As climate change alters grazing conditions and water availability, communities like Pampallacta continue to preserve traditions rooted in a deep cultural reverence for the land and the animals that depend on it.