Caracas - Venezuela. Supporters of the government fill the metro system in their way to the closing day of presidential campaign in Caracas
Caracas - Venezuela. An student is seen with a mask with venezuelan flag pierced by a bullet, in Caracas south east at a march against Nicolas Maduro government calling for security and protesting against high inflation and violence rates.
Caracas - Venezuela. Supporters of the government fill the metro system in their way to the closing day of presidential campaign in Caracas
Caracas - Venezuela. A poster of Hugo Chavez, with high rank military officers on the back ground, is seen at the last event on his memory before his burial.
Hugo Chavez, a Lieutenant Colonel himself, had close ties with the different militar bodies and have placed high rank militars in very strategic chairs inside his government.
A man iss seen wearing a dollars tie at a rally of the government. Hyper inflation, dollarization of the economy and constant loss of value of local currency have been a constant problem for Venezuelans for at least the last 5 years with the highest inflation in the world cummulating 9 digits.
Caracas - Venezuela. Supporters of the government shot in the air to celebrate the victory of Nicolas Maduro against Henrique Capriles. After Hugo Chavez's illness and death, Nicolas Maduro, Chavez designated succesor, won the presidency in close and polemic elections
A kid desgusied in Hugo Chavez military uniform celebrates carnival in the streets of Caracas downtown. Government have organized activities to retake and rebuilt some public places in order to give families an open space to have some collective activities.
In last years violence and lack of money have make the collective recreation the exception in Caracas life.
San Cristobal. Táchira State - Venezuela. View of a makeshift single shot rifle made with wood and metal tubes and used by one of protestors.
San Cristobal. Táchira State - Venezuela. AKA "Cocosadi", 15 years old poses for a portrait in one of the most active barricades in San Cristobal. QUOTE: "As a young person you hope to have a future with different ways"
San Cristobal. Táchira State - Venezuela. AKA "La Chucky", 19 years old poses for a portrait in one of the most active barricades in San Cristobal. QUOTE: "I'm doing this because i want to come back to live in my country"
San Cristobal. Táchira State - Venezuela. AKA "Tato", 23 years old poses for a portrait in one of the most active barricades in San Cristobal. QUOTE: "For my country because is close to the edge. For my dreams"
La Guaira, Vargas State - VenezuelaIn the outskirts of Caracas at a government workshop about violence and crime a young kid draws daily scenes of violences in his community. The age of entry in crime life is dropping and there are more and more cases involving young boys of 12 or 13 years old. Government have organized workshops for disarmament aiming to include community members in the fight against illegal weapons and violence.
In Caracas a woman assist an act to commemorate the death of Juan Pablo Pernalete, a young student presumibly killed by a teargas canister shot at body level while participating in a protest against the government of Nicolas Maduro. Juan Pablo (20 years old), was a university student and basketball player.
Caracas - Venezuela. Gang members and young guys of the area often squat abandoned houses and hang around the debris of their neighborhood. After a heavy rain season some slums have been completely destroyed forcing the inhabitants to look for shelter in other neighborhoods and refugee camps while waiting for the government to assign them a social protected house.
Portrait of my mother, political activist and supporter of the government. "Is an important moment to rethink and rewrite the practice but we should not change the idea and goal we are following despite the external and internal conspiracy"
Caracas - Venezuela. A gang member posses for a picture at their hide out. Age of entry in crime life is constantly going down making the gang members less afraid of the consecuences of their acts and growing up with the most extreme experiences at young ages.
Top: San Juan, Guarico State - Venezuela. Evangelist prisioners pray in PGV prision at a visit of reverends from Caracas. In Venezuelan prisions evangelists have their own zone and are respected by gangs inside but have to make all the jobs like cleaning, carrying water or building and do not have the right to move around the prision after 7pm.
Bottom: Caracas - Venezuela. A pot full of recently cooked crack cocaine. The consume of hard drugs like crack and heroin have been increasing in recent years and is at the origin of the constantly growing violence in Venezuela.
Top: Caracas - Venezuela. Hip Hop artists come to visit gang members to record a music video at their spot. The young members of the band were spending thier free time smoking joints, having party and controlling no rival gangs or police members are around. Two guys helding bottles in this picture have already died in violent situations.
Bottom: Caracas - Venezuela. Caracas Police Commisioner dries his larms as olice officers carry the coffin of their partner Supervisor Larry Morillo, 43 years old, who was killed and partially burn by armed men. In the event his son Yonaiker Morillo was shot to death too and family forced to leave the neighborhood.
Diptych: View of the pictures printed on the coffins of some of the victims of a massacre of between 17 and 28 goldminers in Tumeremo area of Bolivar State in Venezuela, together with images of the flowers on their coffins. In recent years a constant battle has been taking place in the south of the state for the control of illegal exploitation of gold and other rare and precious minerals. In this confrontation participate paramilitary groups from Colombia, FARC and ELN guerrillas, Venezuelan organized criminal groups and regular members of Venezuelan military, police and government.
Caracas - Venezuela. An student is seen with a mask with venezuelan flag pierced by a bullet, in Caracas south east at a march against Nicolas Maduro government calling for security and protesting against high inflation and violence rates.
Diptych: View of the pictures printed on the coffins of some of the victims of a massacre of between 17 and 28 goldminers in Tumeremo area of Bolivar State in Venezuela, together with images of the flowers on their coffins. In recent years a constant battle has been taking place in the south of the state for the control of illegal exploitation of gold and other rare and precious minerals. In this confrontation participate paramilitary groups from Colombia, FARC and ELN guerrillas, Venezuelan organized criminal groups and regular members of Venezuelan military, police and government.
Caracas - Venezuela. View of Caracas at night. Once called the "Hall of Heaven", Caracas have become a place hard to live in. Kidnapping, murders and mugging are commonplace and impunity of more than 90% remains a big problem for population and authorities.
A dead butterfly is seen in the floor of Tumeremo town.
Diptych: View of the pictures printed on the coffins of some of the victims of a massacre of between 17 and 28 goldminers in Tumeremo area of Bolivar State in Venezuela, together with images of the flowers on their coffins. In recent years a constant battle has been taking place in the south of the state for the control of illegal exploitation of gold and other rare and precious minerals. In this confrontation participate paramilitary groups from Colombia, FARC and ELN guerrillas, Venezuelan organized criminal groups and regular members of Venezuelan military, police and government.
A ripped off poster of Nicolas Maduro, is seen in a "wall of shame" where protestors against the government have stick the faces of the main leaders of Maduro's team.
Diptych: View of the pictures printed on the coffins of some of the victims of a massacre of between 17 and 28 goldminers in Tumeremo area of Bolivar State in Venezuela, together with images of the flowers on their coffins. In recent years a constant battle has been taking place in the south of the state for the control of illegal exploitation of gold and other rare and precious minerals. In this confrontation participate paramilitary groups from Colombia, FARC and ELN guerrillas, Venezuelan organized criminal groups and regular members of Venezuelan military, police and government.
Top: Bolivar State - Venezuela. At Tumeremo town relatives and friends mourn at the funeral of several young men killed in a massacre of 28 gold miners for the control of illegal gold exploitation in the south of Venezuela. Bottom: Caracas - Venezuela. Doctors examine a radiography to see the level of damage in patient Yorman Pena, 18 years old, caused by s shot in the head while a fight took place in a party. Between 50 and 100 persons are killed every week in Caracas, 92% of those victims by fire arms.
Top: At Tumeremo town in La Caratica sector relatives and friends mourn at the funeral of several young men killed in a massacre of 28 gold miners for the control of illegal gold exploitation in the south of Venezuela.
Bottom: Caracas - Venezuela. View of El Junquito cemetery in the outskirts of Caracas where the body of Jose Gregorio Cesar, killed by police forces, is buried.
Diptych: View of the pictures printed on the coffins of some of the victims of a massacre of between 17 and 28 goldminers in Tumeremo area of Bolivar State in Venezuela, together with images of the flowers on their coffins. In recent years a constant battle has been taking place in the south of the state for the control of illegal exploitation of gold and other rare and precious minerals. In this confrontation participate paramilitary groups from Colombia, FARC and ELN guerrillas, Venezuelan organized criminal groups and regular members of Venezuelan military, police and government.
View of a sector of Caracas at night
Portrait of my dad, a watchman at a public school living on minimum wage who recently suffered from a prostate cancer "Dealing with the process of finding medicines and treatment, diapers, and consultation was heavier and more painful than the cancer itself...for this government is everything for them, everything, more and more and more, unstoppable greed".
Top: In El Valle area of Caracas police forces visit the scene of a multiple homicide in which a rival gang surprised members of the other a killed 6 of them in a long night of confrontation.
Bottom: An armored tank is seen at a parade to celebrate the anniversary of Venezuelan independence from Spanish ruling. Government has usually use these dates to make a display of military force and give very war mongering speeches against the imperialist postions and the local opposition they see as traitors and antipatriotic
A young man stands for a picture showing his arm tattooed with a machine gun. Growing waves of violence are seen in many simple manifestations of daily life with a youth more and more related to violent beheavior as victims and victimizers.
The sister of Adrian Gonzalez is seen at the burial of her brother in the General South Cemetery of Caracas. Adrian was killed in an extra judiciary execution carried by police forces after been detained in the frame of an investigation for the murder of 2 police officers.
Mr. Euclides Farias rests at his house in a shantytown in El Valle area of Caracas. He has been through surgery twice in recent months after an important intestinal infection affected him. Due to shortage of medical supplies his family had to bring all the material need for the surgeries and were not able to find the antibiotics treatment making the recovery harder and longer.
View of the hand of Mrs. Claudia Molina, 58 years old, with the combination of medicines she takes twice a day. Mrs. Molina is currently under heavy pressure as her treatment might need to be stopped due to the lack of some of the needed medicines to have the complete treating combination. Side effects as stronger virus resistance to drugs can be seen when patient doesn't take all the indicated medicines.
A young child is seen in a portrait while in arms of her mother who was selling ice creams at a government rally to show support to Nicolas Maduro and his call for a Communal Constituent Assembly.
In Los Teques area in the Caracas suburbs hundreads of people wait since early morning hours to try their chance to get any basic products regulated by the government such as oil, sugar, milk or toilet paper. Government subsidized products have artificial low prices that made the production unsustainable and opened the way for corruption, scarcity, smuggling and price distortion as high as 500% between official and black market prices.
A young female protestor stands for a portrait while clashes take place in Caracas east side after a march of opposition was diverted by police forces at different points of the city.
Guarico State - Venezuela. Mr. Enzo Array shows his hand for a portrait holding a picture of his wife, Mrs Parta Solorzano, who died just days before in Universitary Hospital in Caracas after 16 days of hospitalization. Mrs. Solorzano was a patient with a transplant but due to lack of medicines she got health complications, lost the transplant and then died.
A young protestor is in seen amid a cloud of tear gas in the middle of clashes in Altamira area between opposers to Nicolas Maduro government and military and police forces.
Orlando Figueroa, 21 years old, runs after been set on fire by a group of protestors oppossing Nicolas Maduro government in the area of Altamira in Caracas. 2 weeks later the young man died of a cardiopulmonar failure. Some versions said the young man was caught pick pocketing at the demonstration, others say the man was accussed of being a supporter of the government, another version pointed that the man was attacked by somebody for a personal problem and that person later accused him of being robbering to make people attack him. This act has been one of the most brutal and senseless act in the more than 80 days of political unrest in Venezuela.
A woman rises a flower bouquet at a women's march in Caracas in the middle of a series of protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. The mix of peaceful protests with the different political agendas and more extremist positions as well as the manipulation of the population by some sectors of the opposition have at several moments made a transition and change even harder to achieve.
A member of the maintenance team of General East Cementery in Caracas takes the chairs and material used at the burial of Juan Pablo Pernalete. Juan Pablo, a 20 years old student and basketball player, died while protesting against Nicolas Maduro after been hit on the chest pressumibly by a tear gas canister shot at body level.
