My Colombia

I arrived in Colombia in 2010, at a time when the rest of the world was just starting to discover this once troubled nation. Over the years, I’ve witnessed and documented the delicate balance between traditional lifestyles and rapid change.

As technology trends sweep across the nation, so have international influences. A burgeoning tourism industry has delivered a steady flow of foreign visitors; a relatively new development in a country once defined by its red zones. And a recently signed peace agreement between Colombia’s government and the The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), promises to transform areas of the country that conflict essentially froze in time.

Yet, in the midst of so much change, Colombians still cling to their traditional cultural values. Family remains the center of Colombian life. Farmers continue the generations-old tradition of coffee cultivation, selling the fruits of their labor on the world market, while remaining true to the methods of their ancestors. Communities still celebrate with festivals that commemorate a history influenced by European colonists and rooted in indigenous values.

All images and text Copyright © Michael Evans. All rights reserved.