Media

Terra Incognita

Info

Equipped with a Leica M6, Misha Vallejo documented the life of the indigenous Yahacs in the northern highlands of the Ecuadorian Andes. Yachac means healer in Kichwa, a variation of the Quechuan language. Vallejo presents the daily lives and practices of these doctors, as well as the influence of western culture and Catholicism on their rituals. The Yachacs were among the first people to understand the healing effects of plants. They healed illnesses, fear, lovesickness, bad luck, curses and even financial problems with the help of eucalyptus, plantain, chamomile, stinging nettle and dandelion.

Camera & Lens

Leica M6 / Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 Asph

PHOTOGRAPHER

Misha Vallejo

Misha Vallejo was born in Riobamba, Ecuador in 1985. He first studied photojournalism in Saint Petersburg, then got his master’s degree in documentary photography at the London College of Communication in 2014. His work has appeared, among others, in Terra Incognita (Ecuador), Geo (France) and Esquire (Russia).

www.mishaka.com