Hijos de la Calle

La Paz is located very close to the sky. Taking pictures was so hard for me because of the strenght of the light. Most of its inhabitants think to live in a tough city, set in the dry Andean Plateau, full of colors and a variety of fragrances. There are numerous markets, street vendors and social conflicts. The first time I met the street kids, I had been struck by their smell, a mix between filth and diluent; then I noticed the scars which draw a tangled web on their skin and represent a symbol of value and malaise; therefore I realized that the Street is even a more powerful drug than the diluent: it led them burn fast in the eternal present. After living with them, I started noticing their contradictions. They were children raised through real human experiences; their shoulders were broader than mine, but at night they huddled together afraid of the dark. After some months I learnt their names and I found their toothless smiles beautiful. I realized how much they needed affection as I needed them, just because I felt happy. After nine months the time came to leave and It was so hard for me. I felt guilty because I was betraying them, going back to my rich and lucky reality, after I had given them little and I had received so much. Over the years many chicos are dead, but they are still living in my dreams, in my thoughts, in my pictures. However I know it's not enough. I would like to make an impossible wish: the kids who burn so fast, los chicos de la calle, might never burn out.