Samayuio: The spirit of Quito's River

Quito, Ecuador. Since 2019.

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I have had recurring dreams of water since I can remember. They appear like a clock alarm from time to time. This last time, between 2017 and 2019, the water was present in the Historic Center of Quito. I dreamt it on the streets like a river, I saw it sprouting from the Pichincha, raining furiously and covering the hills.

I went to therapy and did dream analysis. I researched about the city’s geography and discovered a dying waterfall: Jatuna (Chorrera), whose flow goes into a canyon: Ullaguangayacu (ref. Water and hawks) and reaches the great river of Quito: El Machángara (The Great Serpent). These dreams became a project and life mission.

In this photo/graphic project, the Brugmansia arborea (Wantuk) – power plant, protector of spaces – is a portal to other perceptions. It allows us to see the death of water, which transforms into a spirit and takes back its original space climbing up the canyon. The water rises towards its origin, reaches the Taita: “Rucu Pichincha” (Old Father) and transcends to the life source from where it will fall again to continue revitalizing the city.

About the project

Samay: spirit / Mayu: river / UIO: contraction of Quito is a photographic project that visually revives the natural rivers that once provided water and geographical limited the capital of Ecuador.

The ravines through which these rivers flowed once marked the territorial boundaries of the historic city of Quito before the Incas arrived. The páramo of the Pichincha volcano, the ancient main water source for Quito, was its primary boundary along with the ravines of Sanguña, Ullaguangayacu, and Itchimbía. These three ravines were modified to consolidate the urban development of the city, leading to the invisibility and eventual forgetfulness of not only the rivers that flowed through them but also the communities for whom the rivers were important.

The water molecule emerges at the Quitu-Cara waterfall in the Pichincha highlands. From its primary source, it begins a journey that traverses the watersheds, the city’s space, its streets, and also the bodies of its inhabitants. In this way, the river – the winged serpent – unites times and planes of existence: Hanan, Kay, and Uku Pacha, and returns to the Father volcano, the great Taita Rucu, to cleanse history and move towards a future integrated with Mother Earth.

This project aims to bring Quito’s natural water pathways into the present, giving a voice to nature while generating dialogue and raising awareness about how our lifestyle directly impacts the conservation of natural entities.

The photographs in this series were printed on cotton photographic paper, hand-painted with watercolor to illuminate the water, and digitized for presentation in this publication.