Territorio Ceniza
Murmuration
Chicago, USA
(2024)
I come from the mountains. I come from the cold, crisp air, from humidity, from a place where trees surround our home, from where green leaves wave all year round. I come from the cold, humid earth, from dark grainy soil. The mountains are within me.
Territorio Ceniza, Spanish for Territory of Ash, is part of an ongoing research project that explores the páramo ecosystems in Colombia. This work is born from the fires that destroyed much of the region in January of this year. Through the material ecology of this ecosystem – soil, corn and quinoa seeds; and invasive species such as blackberry leaves, pine wood, eucalyptus, and ash – I both grieve and honor the land and the ancestral knowledge that intertwines culture with ecology.
This project originated by watching the fire burn the mountains, our mountains, our home. With this work, I seek to study the past, present, and future of this territory and its ecosystems. And I ask, where do we come from? Where are our roots? And what viscerally connects us to place?
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The páramo is a high mountain ecosystem found in tropical and subtropical regions, an altitudinal strip above sea level between glaciers and tropical rainforests, 65% of which are in Colombia. More than half the flora and fauna in this region are endemic, meaning they exist only in this region. The most important aspect of these ecosystems is their humidity – the páramo are natural hydro-regulators, feeding rivers that strengthen the flow of water to the Amazon region. These same terrestrial waters eventually travel through the clouds as atmospheric rivers, feeding not only Colombian territories but regulating draught across the world
The most characteristic endemic tree of this ecosystem is called the Frailejon. The long, thick stem of this tree is covered with dense, hairy leaves arranged in rosettes. These leaves retain rainwater and release it slowly, balancing the local water supply that feeds the world.
The Muisca people were an indigenous civilization that extended through various Colombian departments. Their cosmogony spoke of the need to preserve the páramo, which were considered sacred places that protect and preserve the planet's harmony. The Musica people took care of the lagoons, mountains, forests, and rivers of the páramo, perceiving them as places with life, consciousness, and spirit. For the Muiscas each plant and seed had a symbolism. Quinoa represented fertility, abundance, and spiritual connection with nature. Corn represented life and the sun. The Muisca believed their gods had created the first human beings from corn, and they used corn in their rituals to ask for good harvests, protection, and prosperity. Both quinoa and corn are used in offerings for the gods as a token of gratitude and devotion and to guarantee the welfare of the land.
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In January 2024, 320 fires spread throughout Colombia. They destroyed hundreds of hectares of páramo ecosystems. The fires were caused by humans and driven by the extreme droughts of the El Niño phenomenon. Some fires were caused by discarded glass, through which the sun’s rays created small fires that quickly grew out of control. Additionally, poor land management and the widespread presence non-native species such as pines and eucalyptus caused flames to spread more easily than the endemic species of the páramo. Brought to this region by Spanish colonists, these plants continue to mark the landscape as living wounds of the colonial legacy.
In the process of making the work for this exhibition, I found that these pieces were a way of grieving. But they are also a way to remember and recognize ancestral knowledge and those who, for millennia, have had the wisdom we seem to lack to recognize the importance of the páramos and mountains.
Let the fire stop, let it rest, let it sleep.
Photos by:
Jonas Müller-Ahlheim
Photos by:
Maria Burundarena