Machuca

Photographer's Note

‘Machuca - Merry Christmas’

I leave momentarily the northeast corner of Chile to post a picture of another region.
Machuca is located in the area of San Pedro de Atacama in the region Antofagasta.
But I think that a picture of this very simple church in an even simpler village in the arid Atacama is more adequate within the real spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

In any case, I know that at least one TE-member is very fond of this little church: Ana Dores.

For those who like to see a little more of this tiny village, there are two more pictures in the workshop.

According to the guide of the tour I made, Machuca was once completely abandoned. Everyone had left for the city or for other places to find a better life.
With the growing tourism in San Pedro and the fact that most of the excursions from this tourist center to the geysers of El Tatio stop for a short time in Machuca, some people have decided to go back. They still lead a hard life in Machuca but apparently the souvenir trade with tourists is less bad than life in the city.

PS: Machuca is also a Chilean film from 2004, a social tragedy about the friendship of two boys of different social origin. The story takes place in Santiago, during the last days of the government of Salvador Allende. Watch this movie when you can. The film has nothing to do with the village of Machuca. But it is a touching story that says a lot more about the Chilean society.

adores, worldcitizen, macondo, ikeharel, Tue, josepmarin, holmertz, jhm, papagolf21, cornejo, ChrisJ, delpeoples, adramad, rychem, macjake, ourania, Cricri, Gigidusud, ktanska, COSTANTINO, danos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

kasianowak (17676) 2015-12-22 13:11

Hi Paul
A very suitable post for the occasion and accompanied by a fascinating note. It's really heart-warming to hear that tourism enables people to preserve their old way of life and return to their homes in this remote place. I, for one, know that moving to a big city is not a bed of roses.
Great light and colours and thank you for WS photos and movie recommendation. I'll make sure I find it and watch it.
Merry Christmas to your too!
Kasia

adores (46979) 2015-12-22 13:38

Hi Paul!
You have been there:)! It's on my list for a long time, so simple and so nice. A beautiful shot with very nice colours. The roof looks almost like hair and I like the leaves framing the blue door and the textures of the walls. Good to know they have returned there.
Thanks a lot and have a Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

unclehotshot (4004) 2015-12-22 15:07

Hello Paul
beautiful simple church. Really well captured with superb colors and a fine light (as is normal there). The red earth is amazing.
Cheers and all the best
Frank

PiotrF (54572) 2015-12-22 16:23

Hello Paul,
Nice view of this little church.Perfect exposure and good color saturation.Perspective and depth are excellent taken. Good composition and quality, fine presentation.
Interesting ntes.
Best wishes and Merry Christmas.
Piotr

worldcitizen (16048) 2015-12-22 17:05

Hello Paul,
Thanks for sharing this charming, small church. The landscape here seems very harsh, and it must be a difficult place to live, but the church, with its blue doors, seems welcoming. A very Merry Christmas to you!

macondo (20449) 2015-12-22 21:14

Hi Paul
A very fitting picture to mark the arrival of Christmas. One can sense how sparse is the vegetation around this humble structure. Nevertheless, it has charm, with those blue doors and staircase, arched windows and interesting wall to right and left. Good exposure and sharp details as best revealed in the larger version.
Regards and best wishes for Christmas and New Year
Andrew

emka (158058) 2015-12-22 23:52

Hi Paul, it is very small, very simple, but so beautiful. Of course I love this picture. Marvelous. Interesting and heart warming that some people decided to go back. Is the souvenir trade enough to live a little better life? Unfortunately, many people , like me, just look at the markets, not leaving the money.
Beautiful also two workshop pictures. I like the women in their hats like in Bolivia, Ajmara probably.
Merry Christmas!

Malgo

Tue (92312) 2015-12-23 1:12

Hallo Paul,
Wat een prachtige foto van dit kerkgebouw. Het grasdak en het kleine torentje met kerkklokken maken dit tot een bijzondere plek. Mooi contrast tussen de witte muren, de blauwe deuren en de rode voorgrond. Fijne kerstdagen gewenst!
Lars

ikeharel (113273) 2015-12-23 2:15

Hello Paul,
Antofagasta area is known for its copper mines, and the red tone of the soil tha is used also for painting walls, is an evident of this.
A wonderful contrast and a nice sight of the humble local church.
my best regards,
Ike

josepmarin (59385) 2015-12-23 4:24

Hi Paul,
this simple architecture of the small church is adorable, and fills your framing with a lot of visual power, under a nice play of shades and light.
The blue sky and the mountain create an efficient backdrop for this composition.
Excellent!!
Merry Christmas,
Josep

holmertz (102636) 2015-12-23 4:37

Hello Paul,
Being totally non-religious I can nevertheless be quite moved by the genuine faith I have sometimes met in certain churches (like in Georgia, or a couple of times in Eastern Europe during Communist rule) or of course some mosques and temples. This very simple church far away from everything in the Andes seems to be an expression of that kind of maybe naive but honest faith which I have to respect, even though I don't share it. It's a quite beautiful building and the intense colours make it an unforgettable sight.
As for your story of the villagers returning here to live a very meagre life, but still better than in the cities, I have to compare it to the thousands of "EU migrants", Roma people from mainly Romania and Bulgaria, who can be found begging outside most supermarkets and at many street corners in Swedish cities, maybe in Belgian too. I can't understand how they survive on these small incomes, but they still prefer to travel across all of Europe rather than remaining with their miserable lives in their own villages.
Kind regards and a Merry Christmas,
Gert

jhm (211736) 2015-12-23 4:42

Dag Paul,

Van eenvoud gesproken, dit is werkelijk nog minder dan minder, maar ik ben overtuigt dat de mensen daar veel tevredener zijn dan hier bij ons.
Uw foto is heel mooi genomen, en dat er mogelijk was een paar mensen erbij te fotograferen, bij uw WS foto.
Alle drie de foto zijn echt het bekijken waard.
Mooi foto werk, bedankt.

Prettig Kerstfeest,
John

dta (98848) 2015-12-23 4:56

Bonjour Paul ,
Merveilleuse église d'altitude , avec la couverture comme une perruque blonde , superbe sans le ciel bleu .
Joyeux Noel .

Sergiom (117241) 2015-12-23 6:59

Bonjour Paul,

J'aime beaucoup la grande simplicité de cette image. Une belle construction d'image toute simple et toute belle. J'aime la texture des murs de la maison ainsi que la superbe gestion de la lumière et des couleurs.

Joyeuses Fêtes

Serge

papagolf21 (152607) 2015-12-23 8:34

Bonsoir, cher Paul,
Merci pour cette présentation très intéressante de ces édifices religieux.
La simplicité extrême donne encore plus de force à l'ensemble.
Très belle réalisation.
Amitiés.
Philippe

lousat (139198) 2015-12-23 9:09

Hi Paul,one of the most beautiful and original Christmas postcards of the TE history,no doubts.How is nice this old house,how is nice its architechtural style,and how is beautiful the place and the landscape too,a new wonderful surprise from you great trip,i like it! I wish you all the best me too and thanks,Luciano

cornejo (61504) 2015-12-23 11:32

Hi Paul, very good view of these interesting buildings, very well composed and captured in this good and beautiful photography. An interesting image with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Great and beautiful work well done, congratulations my friend. Thank you for sharing this interesting work.

Good evening and happy Christmas week.
All the best from southern Spain.
Angel.

abmdsudi (95869) 2015-12-23 14:44

Hi Paul
Spirit of the season is alive in every respect - down to earth chapels in this remote mountain village in its simplicity minus all the commercial glamour!!!!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy new year.
Best wishes

ChrisJ (171818) 2015-12-24 2:37

Hi Paul

The quaint little church with the thatched roof makes a great focal point. Good sharpness and striking warm cold color contrasts between the blue sky and the red earth and yellow strawlike thatch. The blue doors echo the sky. Tfs!

delpeoples (60342) 2015-12-24 6:53

Dear Paul

A beautiful, characteristic scene, with wonderful strong colours, textures and contrasts. I love the details of the straw roof and the ochre hues. Excellent shot and I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Amicalement
Lisa

mjw364 (1466) 2015-12-24 9:33

Hello Paul

A very informative note and I will look out for the film too. I once worked with a very special man who taught alongside me from Chile. He came to this country to escape Pinochet many years ago. His family were very wealthy and supporters of Pinochet - they remained. He fought the regime and left for the UK. His family severed all ties with him. It saddens me to think of him but he was one of the kindest men I knew. This image reminded me of his story.

Happy Xmas

Mike

adramad (72940) 2015-12-24 9:33

Hello Paul.
Fantastic composition with this church, which is the most authentic rural, both in its construction with the elements of the environment, and in their authentic style, with an indigenous touch.
Very nice colorful, which gives a lot of appeal to the image.
Magnificent management brightness, sharpness is also perfect to enjoy with the details.
Very well seen and well taken.
Have a nice day.
Best wishes.
Luis.

P.D .: I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

npecanhuk (79329) 2015-12-24 14:08

Hi Paul!
Lovely little church!
Very beautiful local color picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, horizontal format, slim black borders, chosen pov and composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Merry Christmas!!!!! Feliz Natal!!!!
Neyvan

rychem (72187) 2015-12-24 19:10

An original charming small church, I guess Christmas celebrations are here different than in the big city, very nice card
Merry Christmas to you!

macjake (98408) 2015-12-24 21:31

Hi Paul
so this was a tour? You went to Chile on a tour? Was it for the entire trip or just portions of it? I was wondering how you went to so many different areas of the country.

wonderful photo to celebrate Christmas, something totally unexpected.

love the strong cultural component and of course the church itself is A+ with the roof!

Merry Christmas to you as well
cheers
craig

ourania (51103) 2015-12-25 10:19

Hello Paul,
not an elaborate architecture to express grandeur but a humble and charming little church built with care and integrated in the scenery. Your picture gives us an excellent description, the building looks handmade and its textures are great. I like the strong colours on the church, the landscape and the sky. The effort to brighten the facade and the decoration of the entrance are fine and touching. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely Christmas evening,
Ourania

Matyas (0) 2015-12-26 1:02

Hello Paul! Amazing twin cottages. Amazing chapel. Fine architecture. Superb sky, fine weather, amaizng lightness. Excellent colours. Good exposure. Perfect quality. Well done!

Cricri (176) 2015-12-26 10:47

Bonjour Paul
Vraiment une charmante église, simple et belle, j'aime le feuillage autour feuillage autour de la porte bleu, son toit doré, la lumière, les deux images en WS, magnifiques
Meilleurs vœux
cricri

Gigidusud (21679) 2015-12-27 7:46

Bonsoir Paul,
On pouvait pas espérer mieux comme cadeau de Noël. Magnifique cette petite église sur fond de ciel bleu. Très joli le contraste de le terre rouge et du toit jaune contre la façade blanche. Superbes les photos du WS aussi.
Bonnes Fêtes de fin d'année.
Gigi

ktanska (44738) 2015-12-30 10:21

Hi Paul,
All those bright colours makes this charming. Roughly built little chapel looks so good in white chalk an reddish earth tones. Palm leaves around the door is a special detail, and so is the straw roof. And the sky is as blue as can be.
Kari

cristina1 (1165) 2016-01-02 14:44

Hi Paul
fantastic photo of this very small and fascinating Church!!
Very brilliant colurs and perfect frame.
I wish you a fantastic 2016
Cristina

mkamionka (74329) 2016-01-09 1:25

Hi Paul,
this is a very charming little church indeed. Amazing style and great light which helped to emphasize the rough surface of the walls. I like very much the colors also the volcanic landscape setting. It is so colorful that it does not feel real at all.
Excellent work!!

Happy New Year!
M

COSTANTINO (116405) 2016-01-10 9:25

Hello dear friend and have a nice time
and a happy new week tomorrow on Monday
a different photo from the usuals
accompanied by fascinating notes
many wishes for a happy new year 2016
many wishes for happiness and health
really well captured with superb colors
regards
Costantino

danos (110407) 2016-01-11 8:24

Hello Paul,
nice the view as the presentation of this small and cute chapel with the unexpected painting of the wall.I like the created contrast with the brilliant blue of the sky with the nearby bell tower to completes perfect the whole scenery.Well done.

Regards,Danos

Periko (9107) 2016-01-13 21:15

Hi Paul
Great picture showing this simple but beautiful church. I really learn about the world with this photo.
The town in the ws is interesting too. I saw similar villages in Peru 12 years ago.

TFS & regards
Pedro

mesutilgim (0) 2016-01-22 13:54

Hello dear Paul,
I'd missed this wonderfull X-Mas card in your gallery !
Wonderfull capture of this small and simple church. The palm leaves around the blue entrance is a sign that they are prepared perfectly for Christmas celebrations.
TFS and have a nice weekend
MESUT ILGIM

jmdias (115072) 2016-05-29 13:04

paul

this church is ever in my memory since I knew it. it is fantastic its ingenuous style and its beauty. very nice this view with the hills ahead. I am curious to know how they found these palm tree leaves to adorn the door.

hugs

jorge

gervaso (28177) 2017-08-02 11:32

Hello, Paul!

And here I am, back from Chile! I've been to this place, after going to the geysers, and that's where I ate llama meat again after a long time... Light and colors are perfect here, and the typical open sky of Atacama helps a lot in this beautiful composition! Very good job!