Carlos Bernate

Photographer

carlosbernate.net

Home Sweet Gold

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School: Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano

Don Dario, one of the oldest in...draw from the territory. (2015)

Don Dario, one of the oldest inhabitants of the region. It has had to deal with the arrival of the guerrillas in the 80s, the arrival of the paramilitaries in 2003 and finally the incursion of the Colombian army that is established in 2008. Currently the chaos that have generated the three actors of the Colombian conflict are disputing the territory, forces many of its inhabitants to withdraw from the territory. (2015)

In the town of La Virgen the w...yment in the community. (2014)

In the town of La Virgen the work of the land is still done in a traditional way, but as its inhabitants have left the village, the big companies are those who have bought the land that they obtain at very low prices, these companies more industrialized brought all their machinery and their people from other cities, further diminishing the possibilities of employment in the community. (2014)

The mules of burden cover thei... who are close to them. (2016)

The mules of burden cover their eyes to avoid being frightened by riding the cane on their backs, without this they could be very dangerous for the life of those who are close to them. (2016)

Eugenio González has worked alm...unities in the big city. (2016)

Eugenio González has worked almost all his life cutting sugar cane with just a salary of 20 to 30 thousand pesos per day, if it is a good day. His main concern is that in recent years the work has declined since the youngest people when they just finished their Studies, they move to look for other opportunities in the big city. (2016)

German was one of the first yo...bs left him his killer. (2016)

German was one of the first young people to suffer for the arrival of the armed groups, forced as every member of the community to have to collaborate with the side that arrived at the town, until one day a man known as "Guajiro", who According to the community was a member of the guerrillas, murdered German with a machete, cut him to the point of almost cutting off his head. around 47 stabs left him his killer. (2016)

Gonzalo has one of the less wan...pped inside the machine. (2016)

Gonzalo has one of the less wanted jobs that those who work in the mills, he is the one in charge of the milling who is the one who takes the cut cane and puts it in the grinder in order to extract the juice from the cane, some have lost fingers To be trapped inside the machine. (2016)

"I serve in a glass the s...houts of shrapnel" (2016)

"I serve in a glass the sweet veins of the cane, full of bitterness and shouts of shrapnel" (2016)

Nowaday don Adelmo, is one of t...nela market in the area. (2016)

Nowaday don Adelmo, is one of the few peasants that manage to get some profit from the panela to survive, the market is very small and with the unpredictable natureÂ´s changes this labor has been losing everytime, are the big landowners with more industrialized mills who monopolize the whole panela market in the area. (2016)

Jorge Manuel with his imposing...here nothing is wasted. (2016)

Jorge Manuel with his imposing sickle must submit to the infernal heat of the millÂ´s ovens for hours, using the sugar caneÂ´s leftovers as a fuel for the machines, here nothing is wasted. (2016)

Don Ricardo, who is in charge o...inken by the Colombians. (2016)

Don Ricardo, who is in charge of the panela molds, told me how almost a month ago he lost a finger in one of the mills where he also works. This shows the hard way that theÂ panela, La Virgen and its people have to take to get the aguapanela drinken by the Colombians. (2016)

El Cruce is 10 km away from La ...production in La Virgen. (2016)

El Cruce is 10 km away from La Virgen, it is where every Saturday is the market of the panela, where all owners of the mills meet to sell their products. This process is one of the most complicated in the market of the panela, since many arrive very early to show their merchandise but some sellers do not buy until very late at night, when some are tired and end up yielding to sell it in Low prices, is a strategy that has greatly affected the panel production in La Virgen. (2016)

Those who manage to fill their...ational farmers market. (2015)

Those who manage to fill their truck at El Cruce with the panela immediately go to the city of Bogotá to deliver all the merchandise in the market square of Corabastos that is the epicenter of the national farmers market. (2015)

In the village of El Cruze, abo...is sold at the price of copper.

In the village of El Cruze, about 10 km from La Virgen, is where the panela is marketed and then goes to Bogota to be distributed throughout the country. One of the buyer's strategies is to wait until long hours of the night to use the despair of the sellers in their favor generating that they buy their product at miserable prices, for this reason the producers of panela in La Virgen really almost survive with this work that for them it is "the gold of their land" but it is sold at the price of copper.

La Virgen Inspection of the mu...ter knowledge of the terrain.Â

La Virgen Inspection of the municipality of Quipile. It is located only 80 km from Bogotá. (2016)

The BatallÃ³n Colombia located in La Mesa, Cundinamarca. They would have had a connection with the Autodefensas Campesinas of the Casanare paramilitary group since its arrival in 2003.Â Not only since the arrival of the guerrillas were forced recruitment in La Virgen, from that moment the soldiers of the Colombian army, made constant incursions to recruit young people of the territory to support its mission in the area. Since these young people had a better knowledge of the terrain.Â

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Thumbnail of Don Dario, one of the oldest inh_hdraw from the territory. (2015)

Thumbnail of In the town of La Virgen the wo_oyment in the community. (2014)

Thumbnail of The mules of burden cover their_e who are close to them. (2016)

Thumbnail of Eugenio González has worked almo_tunities in the big city. (2016)

Thumbnail of German was one of the first you_abs left him his killer. (2016)

Thumbnail of Gonzalo has one of the less want_apped inside the machine. (2016)

Thumbnail of "I serve in a glass the sw_shouts of shrapnel" (2016)

Thumbnail of Nowaday don Adelmo, is one of th_anela market in the area. (2016)

Thumbnail of Jorge Manuel with his imposing _ here nothing is wasted. (2016)

Thumbnail of Don Ricardo, who is in charge of_rinken by the Colombians. (2016)

Thumbnail of El Cruce is 10 km away from La V_ production in La Virgen. (2016)

Thumbnail of Those who manage to fill their _national farmers market. (2015)

Thumbnail of In the village of El Cruze, abou_ is sold at the price of copper.

Thumbnail of La Virgen Inspection of the mun_tter knowledge of the terrain.Â

Public Project

Home Sweet Gold

Copyright Carlos Bernate 2025

Date of Work Apr 2014 - Jan 2017

Updated Aug 2025

Location La Virgen, Colombia

Topics Abandonment, Activism, Agriculture, Animals, Children, Civil Rights, Civil Wars, Combat, Community, Corruption, Documentary, Hope, Human Rights, Landscape, Latin America, Oppression, Peace, Photography, Photojournalism, Politics, Portraiture, Poverty, Reporting, Travel, Violence, War, Workers Rights

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